


End of a Legend

by sleeping0dragon



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 60,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22453138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeping0dragon/pseuds/sleeping0dragon
Summary: Taking place after the events in Termina, history has begun moving towards an unknown timeline. Despite the Hero of Time's accomplishments in Hyrule and in the parallel world of Termina, he has yet to experience the horrors of war. With an impending war on the horizon, Link takes up his sword once again. This is the final tale of the Unsung Hero.
Relationships: Link & Saria (Legend of Zelda), Link/Saria
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	1. Living in Different Worlds

** END OF A LEGEND **

** PROLOGUE **

With a spinning jump slash, the almighty god cleaved Majora’s Mask in half. The monstrous humanoid creature groaned and then squirmed as it fell to the floor with a heavy thud. After convulsing for several seconds, it breathed its last breath and ceased moving.

“I-Is it over?” The yellow fairy asked. The glowing ball of light with small wings hovered cautiously over the fallen monster.

Instead of answering her, the Fierce Deity groaned in pain and felt his legs and body giving out. Before he collapsed to the ground, he slammed his long double helix blade into the ground and used it as a crutch. The powerful god was quickly losing his strength.

"Hey, what’s happening to you?” The fairy asked, fear and concern in her voice.

The Fierce Deity just shook his head as his eyelids became heavier. “I think I used too much magic, Tatl.”

The dark chamber they were in had begun to violently shake.

“What’s going on now?” The fairy looked over at the remains of Majora’s Mask and saw that it floated into the air before it began to shatter like pieces of glass. Beams of light pierced its body from the inside.

The Fierce Deity didn’t know what was going to happen. All he did was closed his eyelids and felt his mind flying far away while the blinding white light enveloped the two of them. In no time, the rumbling became just a distant echo.

* * *

When Link opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the bright clear blue sky. The demonic moon that loomed over the world for days was no longer in sight.

“It’s over, right?” A sense of relief washed over him.

“Geez, you’re finally awake. It’s about time.” Even without seeing who it was, Link recognized the familiar haughty voice that was with him for what felt like a lifetime.

“Tatl, it’s good to see that you’re doing fine too,” he said with a wide smile.

“Hmph, well…thanks for worrying about me.” The fairy responded with her usual awkward fluster.

Link looked down at his small hands. He was no longer in the adult body of the white-haired Fierce Deity. No longer a god with powers that can be described as _frightening_. He’s now just a mere mortal. A short 11-year old boy.

He climbed to his feet as the other purple fairy and the Skull Kid came up to him.

“Thanks for reuniting me with my sister,” the purple fairy said, expressing a surprising amount of gratitude.

“I-I help out too, you know,” Tatl quickly interjected. “So don’t praise him too much, Tael.”

While this exchange was going on, the Skull Kid was busy sniffing Link’s green tunic.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Link took a step back away from the Skull Kid who was ignoring boundaries.

“You smell familiar…” The Skull Kid finally said. “Like the one that taught me _that_ song.”

_“Saria’s Song? Hmm…I do recall teaching it to a Skull Kid near the Kokiri Forest.”_

“Now that you mention it, that was me.” Link admitted with a surprised smile. “I’m glad that you still remembered the song.”

The Skull Kid grinned under his large straw hat, or at least it seemed to look like he was grinning. He scratched the top of his head. “I really like that song. Thanks for teaching it to me.” He then extended out his hand. “I’d like it if we can we be friends.”

Despite all of the pain and trouble he had to endure because of this small creature, Link found himself surprised that he wasn’t holding any grudges. “Sure, let’s do that.” He shook the wooden hand. “But only if you return the things you took from me.”

“Is that all?” He happily reached into his pocket and dug out a seemingly small brown bag. “We never opened it so everything should still be inside.”

“It’s not like we were _able_ to open it,” Tatl quietly muttered at the side.

Link forced a smile and ignored what he just heard. His long ears weren’t just for show. That was when he noticed the Happy Mask Salesman standing nearby, his usual smile seemed even larger now as he held Majora’s Mask in his hands, treating it like a precious object.

“Isn’t it about time you return _home_?” He advised.

“You’re leaving now?” The Skull Kid asked with a hint of sadness.

The Hylian looked around him, at the fields of Termina, the mountains, forest and the sea in the distance. There was a small throbbing pain in his chest. Even he was feeling sad by the thought of leaving. It had become like a home to him, but it wasn’t his _home_. “Yes, I think it’s about time.”

The Skull Kid’s eyes fell to the ground, but he quickly raised them, his usual energetic self, returning. “Don’t worry about me. I won’t be lonely because I have friends here. But, we should have some fun when we see each other again!”

Link smiled at the suggestion. “Of course we will. We’ll engage in some harmless mischief, right?”

The Skull Kid laughed, then waved his hands and began walking away to an unknown destination. Tael gave Link what seemed like a nod and then flew after the Skull Kid. Tatl remained hovering nearby.

“I didn’t say it before, but thanks. It’s been fun too.”

“The same goes for me. I couldn’t get here without your help. So thanks, I appreciate it.”

A tinged of red appeared on the yellow fairy. “I-I hope that you find your partner someday.” And with those parting words, she quickly chased after her brother and friend who had already began to disappear in the distance.

“In such a short time, you were able to touch the hearts of many people and change their lives for the better,” the Mask Salesman said after they were alone. “I’m impressed.”

_“I had some help,”_ Link thought, reaching into his pocket and confirming that he still had the Ocarina of Time. “What happens with Majora’s Mask now?”

“You have no need for concern. All magic had been extinguished from it. It won’t be able to wreak havoc anymore.”

“Ah!” Link suddenly shouted and then reached into his other item bag. He took out his remaining masks, the Deku Scrub mask, the Goron mask, the Zora mask, and the Fierce Deity mask. They suddenly began glowing and then from the light, appeared the spirits of each of the masks. Their bodies floated in the air before they disappeared once again. Even though the spirits said nothing, Link felt like he understood what they wanted to say.

“It seems like those spirits can finally rest,” the Mask Salesman noted. “Well, I don’t know about that god though. But in any case, it doesn’t really concern us, now does it? You best return home soon. I opened a magical path from inside the clock tower. Just go back the way you came from. It’s opened until the end of the day in case you want to stick around a while longer.” After saying goodbye, the mysterious man disappeared.

“Now what to do?” Link said to himself and rubbed his chin. In the direction of Clock Town, he could hear people celebrating in the distance. “No way I’m missing out on that. It’s about time I get to see what the New Day brings.”

He was about to call Epona with his Ocarina, but he noticed her munching on some grass a few feet away. Together, they returned to Clock Town within a few minutes.

The town was the most active he had ever seen since he first arrived here. Hundreds of people were crowded together in the southside plaza. They were all joyously dancing and singing as they celebrated the New Day. People from all over Termina had come together. From the Gorons, Zoras, Deku Scrubs and even the Gerudo. There were a lot of familiar faces as well such as Romani, Cremia and those others that he helped while on his journey to defeat Majora’s Mask.

It was an uplifting scene that he was sure that he would never forget. He bought some meet kebabs from the stands and watched the celebration from high up in the balcony. A few hours flew by and the celebration continued as loudly as before. But for Link, it was time for him to make his departure. He called Epona and they had somehow slipped past everyone until he made his way to the large clock tower. With one final look at the people of Termina, he entered the Clock Tower and disappeared from the world, as if he was never there.

* * *

** CHAPTER I: ** **LIVING IN DIFFERENT WORLDS**

Link groaned and then shifted his body on the ground. He rubbed his throbbing head and then slowly opened his eyes. Everything was out of focus and it took a while before the scene in front of him became clear. Tall dark trees loomed over him, casting their large shadows around him. Fortunate for him, there was enough sunlight to pierce the branches and leaves that covered much of the sky.

“Epona!” Link cried out when he saw his horse collapsed on the ground. He gently shook her upper body before life returned to the animal.

She shook her head and then got back on her feet, not appearing hindered or in pain.

“There, there, good girl,” he rubbed the top of her head. “Seems like you’re fine. As for where we are…” He examined his surroundings once again and then recalled that after entering the Clock Tower, they retraced their path from when they first entered Termina. Not thinking too much about it, they descended the tower at a normal pace until they stumbled into a hole and fell for who knows how far. At some point afterwards, he lost consciousness.

“Epona, do you know where we are?”

The horse neighed and then blew air out of her nostrils. 

Link sighed. “Somehow, I knew you’d say that.” He looked at the large trees again. “It does look like the Lost Woods, but that can be anywhere. Hopefully, we aren’t too far away from Kokiri Forest. Time to make use of my long ears again.” He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sounds. Other than the ongoing breathing noises that Epona was making, the Lost Woods was deathly quiet. There wasn’t any evidence of life. Not even the chirping of a bird nor the howling of a wolf.

Seconds flew by and then a minute, and another minute. He was about to give up when he heard an extremely feint sound. Despite how quiet the sound was, it was still a nostalgic sound for him.

“We’re not too far away from home now, Epona. Let’s go.” Link got onto Epona’s back and together they traversed the path that was invisible to the eye. 

* * *

The ride lasted for several hours and Link had to take several breaks along the way. There wasn’t any food on them, but fortunately, there was enough water in the canteen for both him and Epona. For each time he felt fatigue overcoming him, his desire to quickly return home grew stronger. Epona shared his sentiments and was willing to power through their exhaustion until the familiar open Kokiri Forest into view. As always, returning to the village after a long journey had brought peace and comfort to his heart and mind.

_"Except that one time in the future, that is.”_

In contrast to the dark and enclosed Lost Woods, Kokiri Forest was more opened and brighter. Sunlight shone through the clouds in the sky, illuminating the village. It felt more alive. Just by closing his eyes, he could hear the rippling of water, feel the spring breeze brushing against his cheeks, and smell the sweet aroma of flowers. He opened his eyes. Despite it being daytime, the mysterious particles that floated around the village were visible.

Link spotted several Kokiri wandering around the village, but it was the blonde haired Fado who noticed him first when he got off of Epona.

“Hey Link, when did you get back?” She shouted from her treehouse.

The door to Saria’s treehouse swung opened and the green haired Kokiri ran out of it. Link’s close friend looked down the railing with large opened eyes and without a word, she climbed down the ladder, and ran towards him.

Despite getting caught off guard by her sudden leap towards him, he caught her in his arms so that they ended in an embrace. “Did you miss me that much?” He joked as they separated. “I wasn’t gone for that long, right?”

“You were gone for more than 6 months you know,” she responded with visible displeasure.

“T-That long?” Link was surprised on how long his journey took. _“Maybe time moved differently in Termina,”_ he surmised.

“Yeah, so I got worried…” she quietly said and then got a better look at Link. “I think you’ve grown a bit taller too.”

“Really?” A very pleased smile appeared on Link’s face.

“By the way…” She looked over his shoulders. “You couldn’t find her?” It was less of a question and more like a statement.

“Yeah, I still don’t know where she is,” he gloomily replied.

That was when somebody loudly and intentionally cleared his throat. They turned their attention to Mido, the moody leader of the Kokiri. His narrowed eyes were focused on the close proximity between Saria and Link. “So, you’re back. I thought you were gone for good…Where did you go anyway?”

“Oh, just traveling here and there,” Link vaguely replied.

Mido didn’t seemed to have accept his answer, but that was when he noticed the golden Gilded Sword hooked around Link’s back. “You brought back a new sword? What happened to the Kokiri Sword?”

“Oh…” Link began, then felt sweat pouring down his forehead. That was when the other Kokiri were gathering around at Link’s return. “Actually…this Gilded Sword was forged from the Kokiri Sword.”

“…What!? You lost our treasured sword?” They could see the Kokiri leader’s face turning bright red like a tomato.

“Well not really lost,” Link quietly clarified. “It’s still there, just in a different shape…”

Mido’s mouth opened and closed several times, but it didn’t seem like he could shoot out any words.

“Let’s take this chance and get away,” Saria said as she grabbed Link’s hand and guide him towards his treehouse. Epona followed after them and then started eating the grass at the base of his house.

Saria pushed Link into his own home and then secured the door with a makeshift lock. She wiped her forehead after making sure the door wouldn’t open. “Well, that could’ve gone worse.”

“I know, right?” Link laughed and then Saria quickly joined in. He didn’t know how long they were laughing, but it probably could’ve gone for a long time if not for Saria’s fairy flying between them.

“Everyone knows that Saria is your closest friend so I didn’t say anything as you two get caught up, but I think it’s time you acknowledge my presence.”

“Sorry about that, Kylie.” He flashed her an innocent boyish smile. “I’m glad to see you again.”

The fairy sighed. “Better late than never. Well, you two can continue with your discussion while I amuse myself over here.” She flew over to the other side of the house where his bed was located.

“Still the same as ever, huh.”

“Don’t worry about her, she’s just being considerate,” Saria grinned. “So tell me what happened when you left.”

Link was exhausted during the entire ride back to the Kokiri Forest, but for some reason, his fatigue disappeared when he set foot into the forest. “Okay, but it’s a long story.”

“I have time,” she said, sitting down on a wooden stool and urging him to start.

Link drunk a bottle of milk and then relayed that he entered the world of Termina through the Lost Forest. The world interestingly enough, was that most of the people there were identical to the ones he met in Hyrule.

“Did you find my counterpart over there?” Saria asked with great interest.

“Not that I remember. That goes for the other Kokiri too.” His answer made her visibly disappointed.

_“Now that I think about it, I didn’t meet my counterpart either.”_

Continuing with the story, Link mentioned that there was a massive moon that would fall down from the sky and destroy Clock Town and all of Termina after three days. He survived through it by turning back time. This gave him enough time to free the four giants who helped him defeat Majora’s Mask.

When he was finished, Saria’s eyes were wide opened with excitement. “That’s amazing! It’s like something from a story.”

Link shared her excitement as he recounted his story, but now, he suddenly remembered that she never left the Kokiri Forest in her entire life. That thought saddened him and he tried to hide it by drinking another bottle of milk.

“It would’ve been great if you found Navi,” she said, now becoming somber herself.

Link just responded with a simple “yeah.”

The atmosphere got heavy, but before it became too unbearable, Saria asked, “Did you bring anything back?”

“A whole lot actually.” Link took out one of his item bags and revealed the plethora of equipment he obtained from Termina. It wasn’t everything, but it was still a lot.

_"I would’ve liked to have kept that Bunny Hood…or the Giant’s Mask.”_ The thought of him as a giant, crushing trees and buildings brought a mischievous boyish grin to his face.

“Well that’s what happened with me, but what about you?” He inquired. “Did anything interesting happened here while I was gone?”

“Something interesting?” Saria furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at nothing in particular. “Just the usual stuff.” Link wasn’t quite sure, but he detected a hint of sadness in her voice. “Well, there was this time where Mido fell into the pond when he tried to jump over it, but didn’t make it. Oh, and there’s this time when Fado played a prank on Mido by misplacing his hat.”

Even though Saria continued to tell stories of very mundane events, Link gave her his full attention as he felt his soul being comforted. He wasn’t sure if it’s because of the stories itself or by the soothing sound of Saria’s voice. At some point, his eyelids drooped and he doze off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

On the following days after Link’s return, not much happened afterwards other than the mundane-like events that were similar to Saria’s stories. The-Know-It-All Brothers gave lectures to Link and the other Kokiri about various things, Fado playing pranks on a number of Kokiri, and Mido bossing him around. Basically, the usual.

He also decided to venture into the Forest Temple, a place where he hadn’t step foot in since he gotten back from the future. Unlike the previous times he went there, the temple was free from dangerous enemies. Just a few Deku Scrubs and large Spiders who made their home in the temple were there. A sign that it was free from Ganondorf’s influence. The venture didn’t last long, only just about a day. He did retrieve the Fairy Bow which was still too big for him to use properly.

Although Link was happy being back with the Kokiri and he enjoyed his daily life in the forest, he became distracted by several things that lingered in the back of his mind. He wondered what he should be doing with his life from this point on. He left on his journey to find Navi and while he still greatly missed her, he had no idea where he should even continue searching. Months have already passed and he hadn’t made any progress. Then there was the outside world, Hyrule. When he left, Ganondorf had not been caught so the idea that he was still somewhere out there made a shiver ran through his body. He had no news from what had happened since then. And lastly, there was his origins. The other Kokiri still didn’t know and even though Link never told Saria, he had a feeling that she always knew even before telling her his Hero of Time stories.

_"Is it alright for me to stay here?”_

These were the thoughts that occupied his mind in the past few days. While he was still mulling over these thoughts, three surprising visitors entered the Kokiri Forest. Their appearance would force him to take action in regards to two of the thoughts that had been plaguing his mind. 

* * *

On this evening when the moon had just replaced the sun in the sky, Link was lying awake on his bed and looking straight up at his ceiling, concentrating on nothing in particular. That was when he suddenly heard one of the Kokiri girls scream out loud. By reflex, Link quickly equipped his Hero’s Shield and Gilded Sword and he was out of the door in mere seconds.

The scream had come from the Kokiri Forest’s entrance and along the way, he saw several other Kokiri, including Saria made their way to the entrance as well. When Link arrived, he saw a Kokiri girl hiding behind Mido while Mido himself was trying to stand strong against the three figures in front of him. His legs and arms were trembling with fear against the three figures who were partially obscured by the shadows.

“T-The name’s M-Mido, boss of the Kokiri,” he announced with difficulty. “Outsiders are not welcomed here. So l-leave this place at once!”

Despite the obvious fear that had taken ahold of Mido, Link felt admiration for the courage that the Kokiri leader was displaying.

_“I can’t just stand back and leave it all to Mido though.”_ Link took several steps forward in front of Mido and brandished his blade.

“Link, is that you?” One of the figures called out to him.

The familiar voice stopped Link in his tracks. As if on cue, the shadows dispersed and revealed three people who he met before.

“Why are you all here?” Link asked, his mouth hung open at the surprise.

Saria placed a hand on his shoulder. “Link, do you know them?”

Link breathed out a sigh of relief in response and then sheathed his blade. “Yeah, I told you about them before.” He glanced over at the blond-haired girl around his age. Different from her usual attire, she was now wearing a simple short sleeved brown tunic, shorts and a hood. “This is Zelda.”

The Princess of Hyrule smiled and said, “Hello” after being introduced.

Link then turned his attention to the tall muscular woman with a light chestplate and blue leggings. “She’s Impa. Zelda’s attendant.”

Impa only nodded in confirmation at her introduction.

Finally, Link looked over at the most surprising visitor. The dark-skinned red head was wearing her usual small bra top and light pink slacks.

“And Nabooru.”

“Hey kid, looks like you’re doing fine,” she said. Despite her words, she didn’t appear to look very happy at meeting him again.

“I take it that you’re all Link’s friends?” Mido asked, sounding more confident than before.

“Something like that,” Zelda replied with a smile.

“Then how did you all meet him?” A quizzical eyebrow rose on Mido’s forehead.

“Where you say?” Zelda looked at Impa and then at Nabooru.

“We met while I was just wandering around,” Link quickly interjected.

Again, Mido only frowned at Link’s vague response. “Then what do you all want?”

“We just want to have a talk with Link,” Zelda responded, taking a few steps towards Mido. “We aren’t here to cause any harm.”

Mido’s eyes shifted away when he noticed Zelda looking straight into his eyes. “O-Okay, since you’re all friends of Link, then you guys can stay a while.”

“Thank you.” Zelda then looked over at Link. “Mind if we go to your home?”

“Okay, it’s over there.” Link motioned over to the treehouse that was quite close to them.

Zelda and her company proceed forward on their horses. When she got near Saria, she stopped and smiled at the green haired Kokiri. “We finally meet. I’d like it if you join us as well.”

The Kokiri was perplexed at the invitation. “I…But why?”

“This must be the Forest one,” Nabooru interjected. “Even I could feel it in my soul.”

“That’s right,” Zelda said. “Even if you’re not currently a Sage, this might be important for you too.”

Without another word, Saria followed after the visitors. They could all hear the audible whispers among the Kokiri at this unusual event. 

* * *

“Nice place you have here,” Zelda said once she settled on a tree stump. “It’s quite comfy.”

“More like small and cramp,” Nabooru added while adjusting herself on her seat. Impa stood near the doorway while Saria and Link sat around the small table.

Link wore an amuse smile on his face. He didn’t recall if there were ever as many people in his home as it did at this point.

Nabooru squinted her eyes at Link. “Now that I got a good look at you, you seemed to have gone through quite a lot since the last time I saw you. What did you get yourself into? I can see it in your face.”

“Just went on an adventure,” Link replied. Before they could ask him the details, he got to the heart at the matter. “Why are you all here?”

Zelda glanced over at Saria. “You heard about Link’s adventure in the future, correct?”

“Yes, he told me about it.”

“About the Sages as well?”

Saria nodded.

“I see.” Zelda lowered her eyes. “Time has change and we are now moving on a different path. I don’t think we will awaken as Sages anymore, but what will come will affect all of us regardless.”

A shiver ran through Link’s body. It was as if the temperature in the room had significantly dropped.

Zelda continued. “When Link warned me and my father about Ganondorf’s schemes and the dreadful future, we confronted Ganondorf and attempted to captured him. However, he eluded capture. We knew that Hyrule would not be safe from danger while Ganondorf roams free.”

“And this is where I come in,” Nabooru said, her face serious and grim. “The last time I spoke to this kid.” She swung her face in Link’s direction. “He stopped me from entering Ganondorf’s headquarters and convinced me to keep watch on his activities. At first, Ganondorf stayed within the Spirit Temple most of the time, but it didn’t seem like he was planning anything. Until a few days ago that is.” She paused as the candles flickered back and forth. “On that day, Ganondorf made an appearance at our fortress. That was when I overheard him speaking about _preparations for the future_.”

“What did he mean by that?” Link asked, swallowing built up saliva in his mouth.

Nabooru shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything else, but based on my experience, it means that a large-scale attack is coming. In other words, War.”

The Gerudo’s final word created a thick atmosphere to manifest in the room. Link didn’t have any memories of wars or fully understood the concept itself, but from what little he knew, was enough to put him on the edge of his seat.

“Once I heard enough,” Nabooru continued. “I got in touch with the princess at the advice of our short green friend here.”

“Don’t tell me you went straight up to the gate,” Link said.

“Of course not. I snuck past the guards and made direct contact with her.” Nabooru looked at Zelda and grinned. “I’m not really the type to criticize, but your guards…are no good. I fear for our future in their hands. I think even a child could sneak past them.”

Link forced out an awkward laugh that sounded like a cough.

“I plan on becoming stricter with them in the future,” Impa said, her first words since entering their forest.

Zelda returned her attention to Link. “And that leads us here. Whatever happens in the future, I…” She shook her head. “Hyrule will need your help, Link. You saved Hyrule before and I think you can do it again.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw Saria open her mouth, but then said nothing and turned to look outside the window.

The last time Link fought Ganondorf, it was simply terrifying. The man was ruthless and incredibly powerful. His defeat felt like a run of luck when he would think about it. _“But to fight him again?”_ The thought alone was frightening.

“Although as you are, I don’t know how much help you can provide, but I’m sure any assistance would be helpful,” Nabooru said. “If we can buy some time…”

_"No Master Sword and with a body like this…”_

“How much time are you talking about?” Link asked, his gazed lowered down to his hands.

Nabooru shook her head. “If Ganondorf is really serious with the War, it’ll take some time to prepare for it, personnel, equipment and such. It’s a whole different process from his original plan. I’d wager we have a few years, maybe 3 at most.”

_“Just 3 years. Is that even enough time?”_

“War will involve fighting with a lot of people, right?” Saria asked.

“There will be thousands, on both sides,” Impa replied. Her response made Saria visibly pale.

Link was sure that this was going to be something that he wasn’t used to. Despite his combat and battle experiences, this was a different matter.

“I need time to think about it,” Link finally said.

“This is asking a lot for you so please take as much time as you need.” Zelda looked at Nabooru and Impa who both nodded in agreement. “We like to spend the night here.”

“Okay, then Zelda can-“

“-Stay with me,” Saria said. “If that is acceptable.”

“Of course it is,” Zelda replied with a warm smile.

“I’m fine with staying out on the lookout,” Impa decided.

“I don’t mind staying here,” Nabooru declared, already lying on Link’s bed.

“I’m okay with it,” Link said as he got up to look for some spare pillows and cushions that he could use.

“Are you sure about that? I am a thief you know.”

“I trust you.”

The Gerudo let out a laugh as the party dispersed to their destinations. 

* * *

At Saria’s house, Zelda and Saria were each lying down on separate beds. Saria had a spare since the other Kokiri girls would often spend the night at her place. The conversation earlier on had troubled her quite a bit. She laid wide awake, looking up at the ceiling.

“Are you still awake?” Zelda asked.

“I am.”

There was a pause. “I forgot to ask for your thoughts about our discussion.”

“What kind of thoughts?”

“Are you okay with Link leaving to fight if that is what he chooses?”

“Of course not.” A temper could be heard in her voice. “It’s going to be dangerous and he could very well die out there. But even then, I’m sure he will choose to fight. That’s the kind of person Link is.” Her voice had grown into a whisper. “At least he would be able to move on.”

“What do you mean?” Zelda turned over to her side so she could better see the Kokiri. With the candles out and the only light came from the moon, it was still hard for them to see each other.

“I’m envious of you, princess. You were a born a Hylian. You can grow old and live happily with the people you care about.”

Zelda didn’t say a word and silently urged Saria to continue.

“I’m a Kokiri. I won’t age and will remain this way forever. But Link isn’t a Kokiri. He will slowly grow older and bigger. He belongs with his people, like you, princess. We can’t stay together. We belong in different worlds after all.” Saria’s eyes became watery and so she turned her back to Zelda. “This is for the better.”

“I’m glad that Link has somebody that cares about him as much as you do and I wish that I had words that I can give you to make you feel better,” Zelda lamented. “But since I’m still an inexperienced young child myself, all I can say is that I hope that you can find some sort of happiness in the future. Regardless of what Link decides, I will do my best to keep him safe.”

“Thank you,” Saria whispered through her tears. 

* * *

Link woke up early on the following day. Well, he didn’t really sleep at all so it was more like he stopped trying to sleep. He left the sleeping Nabooru and went outside. The sky was still dark, but signs of the morning sun had begun to appear. Just like last night, his head was full of the impending war.

After wandering aimlessly, he found himself at the Great Deku Tree’s meadow. Even after months have gone by since his passing, the large figure of the Great Deku Tree remained standing tall from where he was always at. Link slowly slid a hand down the now rough trunk of the Great Deku Tree.

“O Great Deku Tree. This young one seeks thy great wisdom. Never before have I been unsure of myself in these dark times. What should I do? Thou always hast answers.”

As expected, there was only silence that answered his plea. He sat down and rested his back against the thick trunk. At times like these, he wished Navi was around to listen to his concerns. He could’ve talked to Saria, but a part of his worries had to do with her.

The war frightened him, but he didn’t think he could just ignore it. He would regret it all of his life. If he did choose to fight, then he had to prepare for it and he couldn’t do it here. That meant separating from Saria once again. That thought made him greatly conflicted.

_“I lost her once. So I don’t want to leave her again.”_

After spending an hour mulling over these thoughts, he suddenly came to a conclusion. “Okay, I’ll just have to move forward.” He got up to his feet and with determination in his eyes, he made his way back to his treehouse. Unbeknownst to him, the Triforce of Courage glowed on the top of his left hand. 

* * *

After morning had arrived, Link gathered Saria and the three visitors at his home.

“Have you decided?” Zelda asked.

“I’ll do it,” Link said with conviction. “I’ll fight in the war when it happens.” He glanced over at Saria who just made a small smile.

“Then we’ll make preparations to-.”

Link quickly cut her off. “I won’t be staying at the castle. I’ll fight in the war, but in the meantime, I want to live my childhood.”

Nabooru was visibly perplexed at Link’s words, but Zelda just nodded her head knowingly.

“Will that be at Kokiri Forest or…”

“It would be better if I lived outside of the Forest. I need to accept my lineage as well.”

“Is that so? Then we will support you the best we can.” Zelda nodded at Impa who brought out a brown bag. “Some funds for your new life. Spend it however you see fit. When you have settled in, let’s meet again.” Zelda got up from her seat, signaling the time for them to leave. “Until then.”

Zelda and Impa walked out of the home. Nabooru placed a hand on Link’s shoulder. “That’s quite a decision, kid, but I feel strangely reassured. I’ll continue my watch on Ganondorf and I’ll inform the princess of any further developments. Just do your own thing.”

Link and Saria followed after the three visitors who got on their horses and quickly left the Kokiri Forest. The two close friends remained silent for several moments after their departure. It was Saria who spoke first.

“I guess this is goodbye again, huh.”

Link couldn’t quite make out what kind of face Saria had since she was looking away. But even he could hear the sadness in her voice. “You always knew, right? About me.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come visit.”

“Yeah.”

“Huh, did the others leave already?” Mido asked from behind them. He walked up to them and looked past the entrance. “Weird people, they are.” His attention returned to the two. “Something going on between you two?” His eyes narrowed as he cast an accusatory look at Link.

_“I guess it’s about time.”_

“Mido…I’m going to start living elsewhere,” Link declared. “Actually, outside the forest.”

Mido was expressionless at first, then he became puzzled. “In the outside world? You’ll just die.”

“Well…not really.”

That was when the other Kokiri had gathered at their location, curious about the visitors and whatever the three of them were talking about.

Link breathed out a heavy sigh. “I’m actually a Hylian, not a Kokiri.”

Again, Mido was expressionless, then he looked confused. Finally, his eyes shot wide opened. “Whattttt!!! You’re not a Kokiri?!”

“Yeah,” Link simply replied. He could hear the others talking about his origins.

“Is that why you didn’t have a fairy?” One of the Know-It-All Brothers asked.

“No wonder he felt different,” another Brother chimed in.

Mido turned to face Saria. “Did you know about that?”

Saria slowly nodded her head.

“Since when?”

“For a long time…before the Great Deku Tree passed away.”

Mido’s mouth hung opened. “And you didn’t say anything?” He quickly returned his attention to Link. “No wonder I didn’t like you. You don’t belong here with us. Get lost!”

Saria jumped in between Link and Mido to prevent the matter to escalate any further. The act had caused visible pain to Mido as he clenched his teeth and walked away, fuming with anger.

Link noticed that the other Kokiri were maintaining their distance from him despite being obviously curious of his situation. “It could’ve gotten better,” he said, forcing a laugh that didn’t quite come out right.

“Umn,” Saria replied. “You’re leaving right now?”

“Yeah. I’ll get my things ready.”

“I’ll help.”

“Sure.”

The two of them went back to Link’s house and prepared a backpack to keep some of his things. Fortunately, his item bags were capable of holding most of his items and equipment. Afterwards, Saria went back to her home to give him some snacks and food that she prepared for his journey. 

* * *

Half a day went by and they now found themselves on the bridge separating the Kokiri Forest and the outside world. A heavy wave of nostalgia swept through Link as he recalled the last time they stood here together on the bridge. It was a parting that weighed heavily on his heart and mind throughout his journey.

“It’s kind of like the last time, huh,” Saria suddenly recalled. There was a nostalgic smile on her face. “To think we would go through it again.”

“I was going to talk to you about it, but I just was never sure how to bring it up,” Link said, hopping off of Epona so that he was standing next to Saria.

“What do you mean?” She asked, furrowing her green eyebrows.

“I’m sorry for doing something selfish without talking to you about it first.”

Saria was too confused at what Link was talking about to utter a word.

Without warning, Link grabbed onto Saria’s hand and then ran through the tunnel that lead to Hyrule Field.

“Link…what…wait.” Confusion had completely taken over her body and mind. Her legs just kept running with Link as he guided her through the tunnel.

As for Link, he didn’t look back to see what kind of expression Saria had. He just ran with all of his might while holding tightly onto her hand. Epona galloped behind them. Moments later, the vast green field of Hyrule welcomed the two children. While still holding onto her hand, Link finally took a look at Saria who had kept her eyes shut.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” he said.

At the sound of his voice, Saria slowly opened her eyelids. When she saw the scene in front of her, her eyes and mouth grew larger than Link had ever seen. There was no sign of any fear in her face. “This is…Hyrule field?” 

“Yeah.” A wide smile appeared on Link’s face. “I always wanted to show this to you someday.”

She looked up at the bright blue sky and then at the swaying grass and trees. “It’s bigger than I’d imagined.”

Link spent the next few minutes watching Saria as she took in her surroundings. The moment made his heart flutter. When she seemingly saw enough, she returned her attention to Link.

“I don’t understand. How am I still alive?”

Link closed his eyes and recalled his conversation in the past. 

* * *

_"If you ever have a chance, I ask that you free the other children. Some may choose to stay, but there are others that seek freedom. Please help them leave.”_

_"Won’t they die if that happens?”_

_"That is not entirely correct. The Great Deku Tree was trying to protect us by making us believe this story. You can talk to him for further details.”_

_"Is it true of what she says?”_

_"She speaks the truth. The Great Deku Tree’s influence keeps the children from aging. Should they leave the forest, they will not die, but will begin to age like Hylians and Humans. It may be time for them to know the truth and decide from there.”_

* * *

“It’s just a story,” Link finally said. “About Kokiri leaving the forest. They won’t die, but instead, they will start to age if they are outside for too long.”

“Then that means…” Saria’s eyes grew large again.

Link nodded. “If you want, you can live out here.” When Saria didn’t say a word, Link continued with what he wanted to ask her for a long time. “Do you want to live with me, in the outside world?”

Tears welled up in Saria’s eyes and the next thing they knew it, they held each other tightly in their arms. “Of course, I will.”

Link was then overcome with several different emotions and his mind couldn’t think clearly. A wave of relief washed over him as he thought about the days ahead. This wasn’t just the beginning of _his_ new life. It was the beginning of _their_ new lives.


	2. Spirit of the Kokiri

**CHAPTER II:** **SPIRIT OF THE KOKIRI**

The hidden secret of the Kokiri children. Unknown even to them for many years. Once Saria learned of the truth, a new path had opened for her. To Link's delight, she had chosen to walk down the path that was murky and hazy, but full of possibilities. For the two who were born in different worlds, walking down the same path was all they could hope for.

Their exhibition of happiness lasted for several minutes unbeknownst to them as they jumped, danced, laughed and rolled on the ground with unrestrained exhilaration. Their festive mood was eventually interrupted by another presence who was with them the whole time.

"HEY!" Kylie shouted at the top of her lungs. "Isn't it about time you guys stop? Yes, you're both very happy, but you should start thinking about what do now, right?"

"What should we do, now?" Link repeated, looking at Saria. "How about some sightseeing?" He got on Epona and reached out his hand to Saria.

"Let's go!" The Kokiri grabbed Link's hand without hesitation, her wide smile flashing her white teeth. She got on behind Link, looped her left arm around his abdomen and then pointed her finger. "That way!" At that signal, Epona blew across the grassy field in a rush towards the northwest.

"That's not what I meant!" The fairy called out before quickly chasing the two children.

With the cool wind blasting against his face and body, Link is reminded of the first time he rode Epona through Hyrule Field. The rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins accompanied by the sense of complete freedom to go anywhere was an unforgettable thrilling experience. He didn't need to turn his head around to know how Saria looked at this time. She undoubtedly felt the same way he did back then. _"Like how it feels to-."_

"This must be how it feels to fly!" Saria shouted at the top of her lungs against the blasting wind. "Yahooo!"

Her comment brought a wide grin to Link's face.

After about 30 minutes of riding, they reached a large plateau that elevated high up from the ground. The two children got off of Epona and then walked over to the hilltop. From their vantage point, they could see far across the horizon. It wasn't nearly enough to see the Lon Lon Ranch or Kakariko Village, but they could see a large number of ruins, streams, rivers, forests, monuments, towns and villages. It was a breathtaking view, even for Link who has seen the very same view from when he first traveled through Hyrule Field.

He glanced over at Saria and was immediately perplexed to find tears falling down her face. "What's wrong, Saria? Are you feeling sad about leaving the forest?" He frantically moved his hands around, unsure of what to do.

She shook her head as her gaze continued to face towards the horizon. "It's beautiful," she said in a soft, low voice. "The world is really…a much bigger place than I could've imagined."

Link's mouth opened, but then closed once he understood what she meant. "I see." With a small smile, he returned to admiring the scene.

It was a peaceful moment that made it hard to leave from, but Saria decided that it was enough. "What are we going to do now? Do you have a plan in mind?"

"A plan?" A wry smile appeared on Link's face as he scratched his cheek and averted his eyes. "Yeah…"

"With such a brazen act as taking me out of the forest without warning, you did think ahead to the future, riigghhhttt?" She narrowed her eyes and pressed her face up near his.

He could feel sweat starting to accumulate on his forehead. "O-Of course I did." He forced out an awkward laugh. "First, we'll find a place to stay, a new home."

"Then do you have a place in mind?" She wasn't letting him off the hook that fast.

"Actually, I do," Link replied with surprising confidence.

The Kokiri kept her gaze on Link's face for a long moment before she let out a sigh. "Okay, I'll leave that to you. But first, I want to go back and tell the others. They deserve to know the truth too."

Link nodded. "I was thinking about the same thing. I want to free those who want to leave as well."

"I just hope that it'll go smoothly," she whispered.

Link hoped the same, but had a feeling that it won't be the case.

* * *

"YOU WANT TO WHAT!?" The Kokiri leader's protest was so loud that birds scattered away from their home in the trees.

When Link and Saria rode back to the Kokiri Forest, the other Kokiri were surprised to see that Link had returned. Saria immediately called the other Kokiri to gather around the center of the forest. Mido was visibly displeased with Link's appearance as the other Kokiri were busy discussing and speculating as to what Saria called them for. A call to gather all Kokiri in the forest have rarely occurred for as long as they remembered. The last one was fairly recent however when the Great Deku Tree passed away.

After all of the Kokiri had arrived, Saria raised her right arm straight up into the air, immediately ceasing all of the chatter and showing how much influence she had within the small community. Without easing the others in, she went right into the heart of the matter with a bang. "I'm going to live outside of the forest with Link."

Mouths dropped opened and eyes bulged out of their sockets from the shocking announcement. None of them received the news as bad as Mido did however. He looked like he passed out on his feet. When life returned to his eyes, he shouted his disagreement to the heavens.

"I don't understand what you mean, Saria," Fado said, rubbing her forehead as if she just had a migraine. "Are you saying that you're not a Kokiri either, like Link?"

"No, I'm a Kokiri," Saria replied.

"Then…how?"

The other Kokiri nodded their heads in agreement at the question.

Thinking it was time for him to get involved, Link walked up to Saria and stood next to her. He quickly explained the secret behind the Kokiri leaving the forest.

"That's a lie," Mido snapped. "No way that can be true. Where did you even hear that story, anyway?"

"From two very knowledgeable people," Link simply replied. "Trust me, it's true."

"Why should we believe you?" Mido crossed his arms and glared at Link. "You lied to us for all of these years."

"Mido!" Saria suddenly shouted, taking the others by surprised. She then lowered her voice and continued. "I was outside the forest just now. I stood on its grounds. I saw what was out there. I'm still alive."

Again, the Kokiri fell into shock at what they just heard. Within the silence, they looked at each other, trying to make sense of this new sudden information.

"Saria isn't the type to lie," spoke one of the Know-It-All Brothers. Although his voice wasn't particularly loud, it resounded with such clarity amidst the silence that everyone heard it.

"Then that means, it's true," somebody chimed in. "We won't die if we leave the forest!"

It didn't take long for the mood to have greatly lightened up into almost a festive one full of excitement.

"Wait, hold up!" Mido's voice pierced through the chatter like a bolt of lightning. "Even if it's true. Nobody's going anywhere. And that goes for you too, Saria!" He shot a look at the green haired Kokiri, feelings of betrayal and anger visibly appeared on his face.

"I've made my decision already," Saria declared with a strong conviction. "Anyone else who also wants to leave, can do so as well."

The Kokiri leader gritted his teeth and then directed his anger at the only non-Kokiri present. "What did you do to Saria to put these strange ideas in her head?"

"I didn't do anything to her," Link said, clenching his fists and feeling his own temper flaring.

"Stop lying!" Suddenly, Mido threw his body toward the off-guarded Hylian, knocking him to the ground.

"Link!" Saria cried out; her feet glued to the ground from the shock of the sudden development.

Link struggled to get the Kokiri leader off of him and eventually succeeded when he punched the Kokiri leader squarely across his cheek.

Just as he got back on his feet, Mido was already charging at him again, but this time, Mido retaliated with a punch to Link's face.

Most of the Kokiri watched in awe and fear at the spectacle in front of them. Never had an altercation of this magnitude had occurred in the relatively peaceful Kokiri Forest. Saria tried to jump in and break them up, but she found herself held back by Fado and one of the Know-It-All Brothers.

The Brother just shook his head while Fado said, "They need to get it out of their system."

"But-." Saria saw something in Fado's eyes that convinced her to let the fight continue so she ceased resisting and hoped that it was going to end soon.

As if in response to the heated fight, the sky became cloudy and heavy drops of rain poured down on the children. Ignoring the wet weather, the two emotional boys continued to attack one another.

Becoming quite the experienced warrior throughout his adventures, Link had often employed skill and finesse to survive and win his battles. But this time, there was no skill here to be found from either participant. It was just a straight up brawl with punches flying back and forth, completely disregarding their own pain and injuries.

"You're an outsider, so why don't you just leave by yourself?" Mido sent a punch deep into Link's shoulder.

"I just wanted to help the others too!" Link grabbed onto one of Mido's arm and held him in place as he delivered several punches to Mido's torso.

After taking several hits, Mido headbutt Link's forehead, causing the hold to release. "We don't need your help!"

Link staggered backwards a few steps and then found his bearings as he rubbed his forehead. "That's what you think!" He charged forward then tackled Mido to the ground, his body falling down on top of him right after. That last attack had drained a lot of Link's strength so he merely rolled off of Mido's body.

The Kokiri leader remained lying face-up on the ground. His breathing harsh and ragged. Some blood trickled down his arms and forehead. Link fared no better.

While still on the ground, Mido covered his eyes with an arm and let out a cry of frustration. "Why?" He asked, his voice cracking with every second. "Why do _you_ have to leave too? Why can't _you_ stay here? As long as you're here, I don't need anything else."

Despite the heavy torrential downpour, Mido's heartfelt plea pierced through the droplets of water and stirred the hearts of the child-like Kokiri. It was as if somebody casted a spell that drowned out the sound of the rain, which allowed them to give their full attention to the Kokiri leader.

Link tightly clutched his chest with his right hand. The rage that consumed much of his mind and body just minutes ago, had completely dissipated and left him with regrets and a heavy heart at the sight next to him.

* * *

The fight was over. Almost as if the gods had noticed, the rain ceased right after and that signaled the other Kokiri to dispersed from the scene. Some returned to their homes, while some remained standing close by. The news of Saria leaving the forest still weighed heavily on all of their minds. The peace and stability that they enjoyed for several long years had been abruptly broken by one of their own. Now at crossroads, the future of the Kokiri became uncertain.

Mido struggled, but eventually got back on his feet and picked up his hat that had fallen off his head during the fight. As he futilely removed the wet mud off his dirty tunic, Saria rushed over to assist him, but he softly brushed her away without a word and then hobbled away towards the small waterfall at the edge of the forest.

"Link, are you okay?" Saria asked, examining his bruises on his arms and face before he even replied. "I'll be fine." He wiped the blood dripping from his lips and then he half winced in pain when he rubbed his forehead. "You should check up on Mido."

She frowned and then hesitated for a second. "Umn, okay." Without another word she followed after Mido.

* * *

The water that coursed through Mido's hair, head and face felt refreshing as if it was healing his mental and physical wounds while washing away the tears that streamed down his face. He pulled his head back and ran a bruised hand through his hair, checking for any bloodied wounds. Satisfied that there wasn't any, he sat down on the nearby log and looked up at the now starry sky. When he noticed the green haired Kokiri approaching, he wanted to run away because of his earlier shameful act, but exhaustion and fatigued kept him glued to his seat.

Saria took a seat next to him and was about to reach a hand out to him, but stopped midway.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he softly said. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"That's good then."

They sat in silence for the next few minutes, a heavy tension weighing on their shoulders.

" _It's been a long time since we sat like this, just the two of us. I wonder when did we changed?"_

"I was only worried about you," he suddenly admitted, eyes lowered and partially hidden by the shadows.

"I know," she quietly replied. "Thank you for looking after me all this time…and the other Kokiri as well. And I'm sorry for being selfish."

Mido blew out a heavy sigh. "You should…just do what you want to do." His voice quivered and lacked the anger that he displayed earlier. "Please leave me alone for a while. I need time to think."

"Sure, Mido." Saria got up and left him to deal with his conflicting emotions.

* * *

Link washed his dirtied tunic and wore a clean spare after he separated from Saria. She returned just when he was about to take a rest. They exchanged a few words and agreed to just rest for the night and to further discuss the matter of leaving once morning came.

The Hylian was lying on his bed when he heard a knock on his door. Of all the people he expected to see, Mido was probably the last one on his list.

"Can I come in?" He asked, a small frown on his face.

"Yeah." Link moved to the side to allow Mido to walk inside. After closing the door, he noticed Mido looking around his small home.

"I think this is the first time I've ever been here," he said with little emotion and then took a seat on a wooden stump near the wall, with Link taking the seat across from him. After a bit of an internal struggle, Mido finally said, "I'm sorry about earlier."

Link was taken aback by Mido's apology. For as long as he knew Mido, the Kokiri leader never apologized for anything. _"Wait, that's not true. There was that time in the future..."_ The thought only made him feel more ashamed about his actions. "I'm sorry too."

Mido's cheeks turned slightly red as he turned his head. "I just told Saria to do what she wants to do."

"I see." Link then felt relief in his chest.

The Kokiri leader nodded his head and then looked Link straight in the eyes. "Back then, a few months ago, you said you didn't kill the Great Deku Tree. Was that true?"

Link nodded. "He was killed by a parasite in his body." He refrained from any mention of Ganondorf's role in the matter.

Mido clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists. "How could I have let such a thing happen?"

"All is not lost," Link said, quelling the fury that was quickly building in Mido's mind.

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell you that there will likely be a new Great Deku Tree in the near future."

Mido furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Link with confusion.

"He won't be the same Great Deku Tree, but he will inherit his spirit."

"How do you even know this?"

Link hesitated for a moment and then said, "Honestly, I went to the future after I first left the forest. There, I found a Deku Sprout growing from where the Great Deku Tree once stood. He told me that he would eventually grow into a Great Deku Tree."

The story was so farfetched that Mido blinked several times and his face contorted into a strange yet humorous one. After a while, he breathed out a heavy sigh. "Okay, this is really weird. But…I'll believe you."

"Really?" Link was also getting his fair share of surprises.

"Saria believes you, right? Well, I trust her. So there's no point in arguing the matter."

Link rubbed his neck and looked up at the ceiling. "Then that's good enough for me."

Mido crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Is that strange?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "You probably don't know this, but in my earliest memory, there were only two people, the Great Deku Tree and Saria. When I do recall the other Kokiri, I was not their leader. She was the leader then." Mido's eyes gazed into the distant, as if reliving an old past. "I thought she was a good leader for the Kokiri, but one day, I asked her if I could be the leader instead. She didn't ask me why. She just agreed to it."

Link's eyes were wide opened. He had no idea that Saria had been the Kokiri leader at some point in time. _"No wonder everybody trusts her."_

"You mentioned going to the future just now…"

Link needed several seconds to realize that Mido had finished his story. "Yes?" He could see that Mido was struggling to say what was on his mind.

"…How was I doing?"

Link frowned before his lips curled into a small smile. "You were doing your best as the Kokiri leader. And you were keeping a promise you later made with Saria…even though she was no longer with us."

Despite the vague explanation on Saria, Mido seemed to perfectly understood what Link meant. He closed his eyes and his lips trembled, as if he was thinking about a world without Saria.

"Don't ask me how or why, but the future has been changed though," Link quickly added.

"Really?!" Mido's eyes shot wide open. "Then Saria will…"

Link nodded his head and he saw that Mido was visibly relieved about the change. "You know, we both want the same thing." Link paused and then Mido silently urged him to continue. "We just want Saria to be happy."

"Ah, geez." Mido furiously scratched his head before standing up. "It seems I've forgotten what it means to be the Kokiri leader lately. This talk…was good." He made his way towards the door when he suddenly stopped. "Those people that came here yesterday, do they have anything to do with the changed future and the outside world?"

"That's right."

The Kokiri leader paused and pondered for a moment on what he just heard. Without uttering another word, he then left the house.

* * *

Link woke up with aches and pain throughout his body. It took a bit of effort to get up from his bed.

" _Did I go too far yesterday?"_ He rubbed his arms and thighs for the next few minutes.

There was a knock on his door. "Link, are you awake, yet?"

"Yeah," he called out.

Saria opened the door and entered his house. "Feeling better?"

"Just some soreness," he replied with a shrug.

"Then drink up, you'll be back to normal in no time." She sat down on a stump and handed him a bottle of milk.

"Thanks," he said before taking a swig of the delicious warm drink. "Did you talk to Mido, yet?"

A small frown appeared on her face. "Only when I went looking for him after the fight."

"I see," Link said, feeling disappointed.

"I don't think Mido will stop me from leaving anymore though."

Despite getting what they wanted, they didn't feel as good as they hoped. While they silently mulled over the situation and yesterday's events, they suddenly heard two quick knocks in succession. The door had been left wide opened, but instead of Saria, Link found Fado standing in the doorway. She was full of smiles.

"Hey Link and Saria, just two people I wanted to see." The blond haired Kokiri playfully skipped across the room until she stood next to Saria.

"What are you doing here?" Saria asked and then exchanged a confused look with Link.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to join you guys and leave the forest too!" She smiled brightly without a concern in her face.

This time, Saria and Link exchanged shocked and surprised looks with each other.

"I'm not joking you know," Fado said after the other two didn't say a word for the longest time. Her lips pushed out into a pout, looking offended for not being taken seriously.

Saria quickly dismissed the assumption with the wave of her hand. "We didn't think that you were joking. We were just surprised that anybody wanted to come with us after what happened yesterday."

Link rapidly nodded his head a few times.

"Oh, that makes sense." She smiled and then looked around the room. "So…what now?"

"I think we'll leave early tomorrow," Link replied. "We're going to spend all of today to prepare our things for the journey. Well, I guess I'm already done with that." He let out a small laugh as he looked at his luggage in the corner of his house.

"Okay, then I'll get ready too." She turned around and nearly ran into three Kokiri boys. The Know-It-All Brothers were blocking the doorway. "Don't tell me that you guys too?"

"No, that's not it," the brother on the left replied, shaking his head.

"Alright, go ahead." The brother in the middle said to the one on the right who stepped forward.

The third brother had orange hair that extended out from under his green hat and covered both of his eyes. How he was able to see through them was something all of the other Kokiri had wondered for a long time. "Please let me come with you," he said.

"Even though we are called the Know-It-All Brothers, his thirst for knowledge far exceeds our own," the first brother explained.

"As curious as we are of the outside world, we do not share the same desire to actually leave the forest," the second brother continued. "Unlike him of course." He placed a comforting hand on the third brother's shoulder.

"Are you all sure about that?" Saria asked. "You're all family."

"We had a long talk about this last night. It pains us to separate our family like this and see him leave, but we don't want to stand in the way of his happiness." The brothers' eyes all became teary at that point.

Link grunted and then walked up to the third brother. "Then we'll gladly take him along with us…Uh…,what's your name again?"

"Link…you don't know?" Saria asked with great disappointment in her voice.

"I don't know either," Fado chimed in, not sounding the least bit guilty about it.

The Brothers laughed at the spectacle.

"Don't worry about it," the first brother said. "We're always together so nobody really calls us by our individual names."

"My name is Ellot," the third brother said. "I'm looking forward to see what the outside world has in store for us."

"I think you'll like it," Link said.

That was when the second brother elbowed the right brother in his side.

"Oh right," the first brother began. "We forgot to mention this last night, but even if you're not a Kokiri, you'll always be _Link_ to us. I'm sure it's true with some of the others too. As for the rest, I think they just need some time, that's all."

"…Thanks, I really appreciated it."

After the touching moment, the group exchanged a few more words before the other Kokiri went their own ways and prepared for their departure.

* * *

After several hours passed and noon approached, Link walked outside towards a small relaxation area that was near the entrance to the Kokiri forest. The area had several wooden benches that were great for having discussions in small groups. On the way, Link met with a few Kokiri who were willing to talk to him while some still continued to avoid him.

 _"They just need some time,"_ Link thought.

When he did arrive at his destination, he found Saria, Fado, and Ellot already seated and waiting for him.

"I'm all done with the packing," Fado announced.

"Me too," Ellot added.

Saria nodded. "From what I heard, Fado and Ellot don't have much to bring with them. But we can't carry them for too long if we are traveling far."

Link glanced over at Epona who was taking an afternoon nap near a bed of flowers. _"She can't carry all of us."_ He rubbed his chin before a thought popped into his mind. "We still have that wagon, right?"

"Wagon? The one we sometimes used to carry food and things found in the Lost Woods?"

"Yeah, that. We can secure it to Epona. That way, she'll be able to carry everyone."

"Good idea, Link," Fado said, flashing a thumb at him.

"Then I'll get my brothers to help set it up." Ellot got off the bench and took off like the wind towards his home.

With the plan set, the Kokiri spent the next few hours locating the wagon, cleaning it, and getting the rope necessary to secure the wagon to Epona. Meanwhile, a few other Kokiri stopped by and engaged in friendly discussions.

When they were nearly done with the preparations, Link gave the wagon another look over and nodded his head with satisfaction.

"To think we're using something that Mido made," Saria noted. "He always was good at building things."

"I'm still surprised at that actually," Link said. "But anyway, how about heading off somewhere?"

"Where to?"

"You'll see."

* * *

"Is this your first time here?" Saria asked as they stood at the center of the Sacred Forest Meadow. "No, never mind. I just forgot about your adventure in the future," she said with an awkward smile and then walked over to a tree stump. "It feels weird to not have memories of events that we supposedly share."

"It feels weird for me sometimes too," he admitted. "I have all of these memories with many people, but they don't even know about it."

"It's hard on you too," she quietly agreed and then sat down on the tree stump. She looked up at the trees and then at the Forest Temple before closing her eyes. "It's my favorite place so I'm going to really miss it."

"You can always come back here."

She nodded her head. "Yeah."

Link could hear the melancholy in her voice so he quickly took out the Ocarina of Time. "How about playing a song together?" His suggestion brought a smile to her face.

"Are you good enough to play with me now?"

"Why don't you find out?"

"Then let's do it." She took out her ocarina and together they played Saria's song.

The harmony from the beautiful sounds somehow made the forest feel even more alive. Various animals from squirrels, raccoons, cuccos and birds gathered around to better enjoy the show. Despite the large number of spectators that appeared due to their song, the two close friends were completely oblivious to their presence as if they were playing in their own separate world.

So engrossed with their performance did they failed to realized how much time had passed when they were done. The day was nearly over.

* * *

News about the departure time spread quickly so when Link and his three companions met up in the following morning at the forest's entrance, all of the Kokiri were there waiting for them. Even those that still were uncomfortable with Link. The sole exception was Mido who apparently had been holed up in his home since the last time Link spoke with him.

Other than Fado and Ellot, none of the Kokiri were willing to leave the forest despite some of their initial excitement at the idea. They just weren't ready which still made Link satisfied in the end.

The four wheeled wooden wagon had already been secured with rope and the surprisingly small amount of luggage for the travelers were already lying in the wagon.

"I'm feeling sad and happy at the same time," Fado expressed, wiping away a tear in her eye as she looked back at her friends who came to see her off.

To Fado's right, Elott sniffled and then lowered his hat further down his head. "Yeah, I feel it too."

They had already spent 30 minutes talking with some of the Kokiri so Link felt like it was time to leave. There was disappointment burning in his chest and while he wanted to wait a bit longer, he didn't think it would be productive to just continue waiting. "Okay, it's ti-." He paused when he caught Mido slowly walking towards them. The other Kokiri also noticed and opened a path for him as if a king was making his way through. The Kokiri leader no longer walked with a hobble, Link noted.

"Mido…" Saria whispered under her breath.

"I take it you guys are leaving now?" He asked, looking at each of the four travelers.

"That's right," Link replied.

"Fado, Elott, and Saria," Mido began. "I may be the Kokiri leader, but I do not control your individual lives." He quickly shot a knowing look at Link before returning his attention to the other three. "You're all free to leave the forest if that is what you want. As Kokiri, know that the Kokiri Forest will always be your home and you all will be welcomed back should any of you ever decide to return." He then looked over at Link. "And as a special exception to the one who is not a Kokiri, but carries the spirit of one, the Kokiri Forest is also your home…Link."

"Thank you, Mido," Saria said, suddenly becoming teary eyed.

Link himself had become speechless. He might have expected that Mido would eventually give his blessing to their departure, but for Mido to accept Link as a Kokiri had unexpectedly moved him. "Thanks, Mido. And I think you should take this." He reached into his pocket and handed Mido the Kokiri's Emerald.

"What's this?" He asked, carefully inspecting the shiny object.

"Before the Great Deku Tree passed away, he entrusted it to me. But I'm now entrusting it to you because I think it belongs in the forest."

"Link…" Within Mido's eyes, there appeared to be a fire that was lit as well as a new sense of pride. He placed a fist near his chest. "As the Kokiri leader, I promise to always safeguard this with my life." He then turned to Saria. "I also promise to watch over the Kokiri. As long as there is one Kokiri remaining here, I will continue to keep that promise."

Saria merely smiled at Mido's declaration. It seemed that there were no more words that needed to be communicated between them.

"It's not much, but take this," Mido said, passing a black bag over to Link.

After thanking Mido, Link turned to his three companions. "It's time."

Fado let out a cheer as she, Saria and Elott got onto the wagon.

Link took his position on Epona's back and the four of them began moving towards the entrance.

They were sent off with loud farewells and parting words while they remained in view of the other Kokiri. Saria, Elott and Fado continued to wave their goodbyes at the small figures that were eventually gone.

As they neared the entrance, Link looked back at Elott and Fado. "We're almost out. Ready?"

Elott and Fado looked at each other and then nodded their heads in unison. "Yeah!"

Epona's walk then broke into a quick run as if she was racing through a marathon. Their vision became obscured as they entered the dark tunnel, but just moments later, a small speckle of light appeared. It grew bigger and continued to grow until their bodies were basked by the bright warm light from Hyrule Field.

A few days ago, Link believed he was the only one that was going to start a new life. But now, _"It just became more interesting,"_ he thought.


	3. New Meetings and Reunions

**CHAPTER III :** **NEW MEETINGS AND REUNIONS**

"Whoa…" Fado breathed out, her eyes and mouth wide opened. It had been that way for over a minute since the group departed from the Kokiri Forest and stepped foot onto the expansive Hyrule Field. "You're seeing this, right?" With shaky hands, she grabbed onto Saria's and Elott's hands.

Elott nodded, his mouth stretch opened so wide that didn't even seem possible.

Link grinned as he watched the two of them. _"It somehow doesn't get old."_

"You guys should close your mouths now in case a bug flies inside," Saria suggested with amusement.

"I feel so small here," Fado said as she stood up and stretched her arms out. "The field stretches out as far as I can see and this wind…" She closed her eyes. "The breeze feels so cool on my face and skin. "I wished I'd known about this sooner."

Link then noticed Elott writing in some kind of book. "What's that?"

"This is my journal," Elott replied, raising his slightly ragged tanned book for them to see. "I plan on recording what I see and experience from now on."

"That sounds great," Saria said. "You'll have to let me read it someday."

"When it becomes full, then I don't mind showing you."

"Now that we're out here, Link, where do we go now?" Fado sat back down on the wagon and changed the subject.

"There's a small town called Celdic just a few ways ahead." Link pointed towards the northwest where they could see a few hills elevated above ground and a condensed area of trees on the horizon. I think it's a good place for us to stay."

"Is it farther than where we went last time?" Saria asked.

Link nodded. "Yeah, just a bit farther than that place."

Fado placed a hand on her hips. "Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's start moving."

"Okay, okay." With one simple pull on Epona's reins, she began moving forward and they continued their journey.

Even as light as the Kokiri children and their luggage were, Link didn't want to put too much pressure onto Epona so they proceeded at a relative calm pace.

Saria didn't say much and mostly just admired the passing scenery, something that Fado was currently engrossed in. Every new thing that appeared from lamp posts, the paved roads, small statues, the trees, the bushes and streams of water had amazed her. Elott had constantly looked up and down from his notebook to down a few things. Similar to Fado, every new thing he encountered meant it went into his journal. As for Link, he kept his attention mostly on the road in front of him. If he got too distracted, they might trip over a rock or get stuck in a hole.

"Can I ask you something, Fado?" Saria asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmmm?" Fado turned her attention away from a massive boulder and looked at Saria.

"I know that Elott is curious about the outside world, but why do you want to go with us?"

"Because it's boring back in the Kokiri Forest," she replied as a matter of fact and then made a lifeless expression on her a face. "Don't get me wrong. Chatting and playing with the other Kokiri is fun, but after doing the same thing for such a long time, I need to do something else."

" _How very like Fado,"_ Link thought, feeling grateful to have someone like her with them.

"So that's the reason." Saria nodded her head in understanding. "You're pretty daring regardless."

Fado took that as a compliment as she made a large smile. "And what about you, Saria? Why did you want to leave in the first place?"

"W-Why?" That question had taken her by surprised so she didn't answer immediately. She glanced over at Link in the corner of her eye and then it suddenly grew large. "What's that?!" She pointed at the large plant tree that was flying towards them. At the top were tropical colored leaves and at the bottom were razor sharped leaves that were spinning around its body, allowing it to fly.

"That's a Peahat, but it's weird to see one so close to the road," Link responded as the creature continued to close in on them. Epona could've outrun it easily, but with the wagon, they had to maintain a much slower speed.

"Link, do something." Fado shook Link's shoulders back and forth.

The Hylian glanced over his shoulder and looked at each of the three Kokiri. "You guys packed your slingshots, right? Then can I leave it to you?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Fado stuck out her tongue and sheepishly smiled. "Then leave it to me. I'll show you the results of spending countless hours shooting down Deku nuts from the trees."

"I often practice with my brothers so I'll be fine with one," Elott responded.

Saria took out her slingshot and had to retighten the sling. "It's been a while since I've used one, but I can help. I just need to clear away the rust." She forced a laugh and then took her position with Elott on the western edge of the wagon while Fado crouched on the southern left side. The three of them forming a line of defense.

"You see that cone shaped thing at the bottom of it?" Link pointed to the root like object at the Peahat's base. He saw the three of them nod. "That's its weakness. Shoot it!"

"Qwin, help us out," Fado ordered her fairy.

Following Fado's example, Elott turned to his fairy. "You too, Christo."

"You don't need to ask," Kylie said. "Leave it to us!"

The three fairies flew towards the Peahat who was now within a few feet from them. They hovered near the Peahat's exposed base and acted as a guiding light for their masters.

Fado closed her right eye and pulled the sling. "I got you now!" After releasing the sling, the Deku seed was sent flying towards the monster. They heard something like a groan once the seed made contact. "Yes, bulls-eye."

Elott loaded a Deku seed onto the sling, pulled it back and kept that position for the next few seconds.

Fado leaned towards the orange haired Kokiri. "What are you doing? Just shoot it already!"

"We shouldn't waste our supplies like this." Elott's hands were beginning to tremble as he kept the sling's tension from loosening. "Now!" He let go of the sling and the Deku seed was sent flying like an arrow. Just like his Kokiri friend, his shot was on target.

At that point, Saria fired her first shot that landed a few inches away from the weak point. "Drat," she hissed under her breath.

Fado was quick to offer words of encouragement. "No worries, Saria, just keep shooting."

"She's right," Link agreed, taking one moment to glance over his shoulders. "Just keep attacking." The wagon then suddenly ran over a few sizable rocks causing it to lunge up a few inches.

"Hey, careful," Fado admonished their driver, one hand clutching onto the ledge. She suddenly let out a shout. "It's closing in!" All heads turned towards the Peahat which had now gotten within 10 feet of them.

The three Kokiri quickly returned back to action. Fado went into rapid fire mode and shot without much interval between each shot. As expected, she missed about half of her shots. Elott continued his slow, but careful shots at less than half of Fado's pace. At least all of his shots appeared to have hit the intended target. Finally, for Saria, her firing pace was somewhere between the other two and had missed her fair share of shots.

After several more rounds of attacks, the Peahat noticeably began to slow down its flight.

"Did we stop it?" Saria clutched a seed in her hand, ready to load it if needed. Just as she had hoped, the Peahat's spinning leaves came to a stop and the monster crashed down onto the ground. As Fado and Elott hi-fived each other, Saria broke their small celebration and pointed in the direction of the Peahat.

From the top of its head, thirteen smaller Peahats flew out and were on a set course towards them again.

"It just won't end, does it?!" Fado groaned and then pulled her sling back.

The three Kokiri fired in unison and managed to strike down three of the baby Peahats in one shot, but the remaining ten were almost on the them. Because of the close proximity of the baby Peahats, they turned up their pace and fired as fast as they could without any real time spent on aiming. Panic was creeping into their heads and their poor shooting was reflected as a result.

" _They won't make it in time,"_ Link thought as he took out his bow. "Please don't run over any holes or ledges," he said to Epona, unsure if she actually understood what he was saying. He lifted his body up and then turned his whole body around so that he was now seated facing the descending baby Peahats from behind their wagon. Sparing only a second or two before shooting, he shot down each target without missing a shot. With his assistance, the four kids were able to stop all of the baby Peahats from coming into contact with them.

Fado wiped off the sweat on her forehead. "Good going, Link. I'm impressed." She turned to her Kokiri friend who suddenly collapsed onto his back. "You too."

The wagon suddenly lurched towards the side, almost causing Link to fall off of Epona. He turned around and noticed that Epona had deviated from the road and onto a field of small rocks and uneven grounds. He took control of the reins and was able to smoothly steer Epona back to the road.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of horse hooves pounding the ground from behind them. The sound quickly grew so loud that it felt as if the ground was shaking from below them.

Link stopped Epona from moving any further and directed his attention to two soldiers on adult horses, riding up to their side.

"Are you all okay?" The soldier on the right asked. "We saw that you were getting attacked by the Peahat and its babies. But seems like you guys had it under control."

The soldiers wore the typical full body armor that Link had seen on multiple occasions. On their backs were steel round shields that depicted the red Hylian crest. They had swords sheathed on their belts, but they were also equipped with long spears. Their heads were protected by the steel helmets that covered most of their faces, making them very difficult to be distinguished from one another.

"We're all safe and sound," Link replied.

The soldier on the right lowered the front cover so that the face of a man in his twenties was revealed. He looked at the Kokiri children before turning to Link.

"What are you children doing out here?" He asked.

"We're on our way to Celdic," Link swiftly replied.

The soldier eyed Link's clothes. "To Celdic, eh? From where did you came from?"

Link paused for a moment and looked at the others. They had remained silent since they encountered the soldiers. More so out of curiosity rather than fear. "The Kokiri Forest."

"The forest?" The soldier knitted his eyebrows as he turned to his partner. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

"Based on our location, it's probably _that_ forest, isn't it?"

The soldier on the right glanced over to the vicinity where the Kokiri Forest lie. "People live there?"

His partner shrugged his shoulder.

That was when they noticed the hovering fairies nearby.

"You have fairies with you?" The soldier on the right asked, sounding a bit startled at their appearance.

Saria nodded her head. "Yes, they're with us."

The soldier raised a finger to his chin and scratched it. "Fairies and green clothes…I think I recalled hearing about fairy people or something." He glanced over his partner. "We didn't receive any warnings about them, right?" Despite whispering to his partner, the kids heard most of what he said.

"Don't think so. Besides, they're children."

"Well, they're pretty skilled if you ask me." The soldier on the right returned his attention to the children in green. "You don't have any adults with you?"

"It's just us," Link replied, shaking his head.

"I see…" The soldier paused for a long moment and pondered about the situation. "Okay, you may pass. Celdic is quite far off so if you want, we can escort you over."

"Don't worry, we can take care of ourselves."

The soldier noticed Link's Gilded Sword, Hero's Shield, bow and the slingshots in the Kokiri hands. "Honestly, you did quite well for children. Just stick to the roads and you'll be fine." He lifted the helmet's cover back to its original position. "By the way, did any of you notice anything suspicious around these parts?"

"Suspicious?" Fado exchanged looks with Saria and Elott.

"Not that we know," Link calmly replied.

"Then that's fine. If you do notice something, please notify the soldiers at our Celdic base or any soldier that you see on patrol." With his final words, the two soldiers returned to their patrol and headed in the direction where the kids had come from.

Fado leaned over the ledge and watched the soldiers disappeared into the distant. "So those were adult Hylians," she noted in awe. "You'll be like them when you're older, right Link?"

Link nodded. "That's right." He looked over at Saria and Elott and noted that they weren't particularly fazed by the soldiers' appearance. Just a bit in awe like Fado. He furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "I don't remember seeing them patrol all the way down here before though."

"Then, could it be because of _that_?" Saria suggested.

"What do you mean by _that_?" Fado crawled towards the two of them, a heavy frown on her face. "Are you keeping us in the dark about something?"

Elott nodded his head a few times in agreement.

"Well…" Link scratched the back of his head and then breathed out a sigh. "Okay, you both should know since you're with us now. It'll be a long story, alright?"

"We're not in a rush." Fado folded her arms and waited.

Link then told them of the events that transpired since he first left the Kokiri Forest, all the while steering Epona down the road towards Celdic. He didn't leave much out and even divulge his time in Termina. It was a long trip after all.

Hours flew by in a blink of an eye. The three Kokiri mostly remained silent throughout the story other than when someone had a simple question or comment. They didn't run into anything or anybody that broke up the story's pacing.

"…And that's pretty much it," Link said once he was done with his story. To his surprise, Fado and Elott didn't appear very shocked and surprised by the end. They were quite calm about it, as if he was telling them a story of what he did on a trip through the Lost Woods. "I'm telling the truth."

Fado stretched her arms and neck so that they heard cracking noises. "I believe you. It's just that with everything we've seen already, I'm not really surprised anymore. And I'm getting tired too." The sun had already begun its descent leaving the now relatively darkened sky. It seemed that it had been quite a long day for them.

Elott nodded in agreement. "I'm just collecting my thoughts, but it really is a very interesting story. I wouldn't have thought you went on such adventures, but now things are starting to make sense. Does that mean that you're a hero?"

Link pondered the question for a long moment. "I've never been called one before so I don't know."

"It does sound like you're one. But more than before, I'd like to see for myself what's out there." Elott looked up at the sky. Even though they couldn't see his eyes, they were probably wide opened in awe.

As their enthusiasm were slowly growing, their destination was coming up soon. Their scenery from mostly green grass, trees, bushes and remnants of ruins had transitioned right before their eyes. More traces of civilization appeared in their surroundings such as the large farmlands. Along with the appearance of more Hylian soldiers, there were also people who made their home away from large centers of habitation and community like villages and towns. Some of them were currently outside with their family doing farm work while the children were just playing around. Other people were inside their homes eating dinner or just simply relaxing. If they weren't scattered around, there might have been a small community out here.

Other than the people themselves, the Kokiri children laid their eyes on the houses that were made of a combination of bricks, stones, and wood. The general architecture differs between each one, but everything about them was quite different from the wooden homes the Kokiri made in the trees. It was an eyeopener for those that had no concept of what other homes could even look like.

"They actually live together in those large places?" Fado asked, her eyes returning to the large size that appeared when they first left the forest. Even Saria who had remained quite calm throughout their trip, had watched in awe at their passing surroundings.

"Families do live together after all," Link simply replied.

"Wait, what's that?" Elott pointed to the steel rectangular box on a wooden pole. "Each home seems to have one."

"Huh?" Link took a second to glance over at where Elott was pointing at. "Ah, those? Those are mailboxes."

Elott placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't understand. Please explain it better."

Link sighed and then talked about the concept of mail and those that deliver the mail.

The orange haired Kokiri's nodded a few times after Link finished his explanation. "So that's how it works. I see. Interesting."

"This makes me want to write a letter to the Kokiri Forest," Fado said with a small frown. "But I don't know how to write."

"Don't worry, I can teach if you want." Saria gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Saria!" Fado quickly hugged her friend before returning to admire the scenery.

After another 30 minutes, they diverged from the road and then up a small hill.

"Are we almost there, Link?" Saria asked as she moved closer to Link's side.

"Yup."

"Really?" Fado quickly moved up next to Saria with Elott following close from behind. Fado's eyes were wide open with anticipation, but she was quickly met with disappointment. "This is it?" She shot a look of disapproval at Link. "I was hoping to live in something like those houses we saw earlier."

"I know it's not much, but it's all I could think of." Link forced out a laugh and then rubbed the back out of his head. _"The thought sounded better in my head too."_

Fado sighed while Elott got off the wagon and walked towards their new home. Upon first impressions, the place wasn't fit to be called a home. What was once probably an adequate small wooden log cabin, had now fallen into shambles. There was no door and parts of the roof had collapsed. All of the furniture was either broken or reduced to rubble.

"Link, I feel like I've been tricked," Saria quietly said, lowering her head and wiping away something from her eye.

The Hylian began to panic and became disheartened when he saw her disappointment. "I-I didn't mean to. I just-."

"Just kidding," she said, quickly cutting him off and revealing her bright smile. "As long as we're together, we'll make it work."

"Thank goodness." Link breathed out a sigh of relief when Elott returned to them.

"We could fix the home ourselves," he said, not looking particularly disappointed. "It'll take a bit of time, but we can make do in the meantime."

"Yes, nice follow-up, Elott." Saria gave him a thumbs up.

"Actually, about that," Link began. "I know some people that can help us fix it and make it better."

Fado's disappointment was visibly replaced with some curiosity at the mention of other people. "Are they people you met on your adventure?"

Link nodded.

"But, is there a reason why you want to live here?" Saria asked, running her eyes across their home.

"It might not mean much, but…" Link walked over to the western edge of the hill where the others joined him.

"Wow…" Saria said once she saw what Link was looking at. The others echoed her sentiments.

From their vantage point, they could see quite the distance in every direction. From the south, they saw the scattered homes and farmland they crossed just moments ago. Turning their gaze to the northwest, they could see a large number of various buildings in the distance, protected by a large stone wall.

"Is that a town?" Elott asked.

"Yeah, Celdic," Link replied and then gazed over at the western side. The sun was already setting with half of its body hidden below the horizon. The combination of the dark sky and the disappearing sunset created a picturesque scene.

"We never see something like this back in the forest." Fado's eyes grew wet as her lips curled into a soft smile.

While the four of them were enraptured by the scene, Link thought back as to why he wanted to live here. "I crossed this place a few times after I left the forest. I never noticed anybody living here then and even in the future. I saw this sunset every time I crossed it and I just thought it would be great to live here and see that every day."

"I think I understand what you mean," Saria said while keeping her attention on the sunset. "I can't really explain it, but I feel at peace when I look at that." The other two Kokiri murmured in agreement.

"Okay, I guess I'm fine with staying here then," Fado said. Her sudden change in attitude caused a round of laughter to erupt as they continued to admire the scene.

Half an hour later, the sun had completely disappeared from the sky. As if realizing it, the kids' stomachs began to growl in pain.

"It's time for dinner, but do we even have much to eat?" Saria rummage through her backpack and then pulled out a small bag with some fruits.

"I didn't pack anything to eat!" Fado panicked and ruffled through her pockets and bag.

Link glanced over at Elott who shrugged his shoulders. "I brought a few things, but not a lot either."

"We should start gathering food then," Saria decided, but was suddenly stopped by Link.

"We can do that another time, but for now, let's just buy food in the town."

"Food made by Link's people?" Fado's ears twitched with interest. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

After tying Epona to a tree that grew next to the cabin, they gathered water from a nearby stream at the base of the hill and placed it into a wooden bucket for Epona. It had been a long trip for her so she deserved a rest.

The kids went down the hill and walked up the road that led to the nearby town. It took them nearly twenty minutes to get there. Their short legs did them no favors. As they approached the open gate, they saw several people entering the town as well. Some just walked in while some were on horseback. They, and the Hylian soldiers who stood guarding the gate just gave them a cursory glance and paid little attention to the strange children in green.

Just past the gate were several buildings from both sides. There was one particular tall building that caught Link's eye, but he quickly disregarded it and guided the others deeper into the town.

The area past the entrance area was the marketplace which was structured like a wide opened straight passageway. Wooden stands filled with food, equipment, clothes and various trinkets lined up on both sides of the marketplace. Along with the signs that displayed the wares and their price, the owners stood in front of their stands and tried to advertise their inventory amidst the rambunctious chatter.

" _It's like being back in Clock Town."_ Link thought fondly to one of the liveliest places he had been. While it lacked the certain festive feeling the Termina town had, Celdic was comparable in its loud and active atmosphere.

"Hey, do you need sheets or blankets, then stop by. I'll get you what you need." A man with a mustache blocked the kids' path with his massive body.

"We're looking for food, mister," Fado explained as she tried to squeeze past his body.

They got sidetracked by a few more vendors, before running into a large crowd that walked through the street from the opposite direction. Their bigger bodies pushed the kids back and prevented them getting any further.

"Link!" Saria cried out as she suddenly found she was getting moved farther away.

"Saria!" Link squeezed his body through several people and then finally grabbed onto her outstretched hand. However, the hand was quickly slipping off so he tightened his grip and pulled it with all of his might until her body was sent flying into his. The collision caused them to crash into the nearby wall. "Are you okay?" He rubbed his head and then helped her get back to her feet.

"I'm okay, just a little shaken." She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's like running into a herd of deer, huh."

"You got that, right," Fado added when she appeared next to them. "Is there any easier way to get through here?"

"We're small, but we should be able to use our size to slip through better," Elott opined.

"Then let's show them how nimble we can be." Saria grabbed Link and Fado's hands. "Stick together so we don't get lost."

Elott nodded and held onto Fado's hand.

Link took a few steps forward and then watched the people passing by. "On my signal, we'll make a run to the end." After eight more people passed by, he noticed a sizable gap in the crowd. "Now!" He made a mad dash through the group of people, slipping and passing their bodies. Keeping their heads down and bodies low, they eventually got to the exit where the passageway opened up into the large central plaza.

"I hope we don't have to go through that every time," Saria said as she took in the new area.

"Me too." Fado fixed her hair that had become ruffled and loose while getting through the crowd.

The central plaza was filled with a lot of people as well, but due to the much larger open space, people weren't running into each other as they passed through.

"We're almost there," Link said as he ran towards the western area.

"There?" Fado asked, exchanging glances with Saria and Elott. "Where?"

"Come on, Link's getting away." Saria motioned the other two Kokiri to follow her as she chased after Link.

The group entered another area with small buildings and houses. There were shops here as well, but unlike the marketplace, there were no stands outside. Link made a beeline through the streets until he stopped in front of a small shop with a sign that read, "Delan's Deli."

"We'll eat here," Link decided and walked into the shop with a few customers busy enjoying their meal. The décor inside was quite basic. Lining the walls were various plants and flowers. Several lanterns that hung from the ceiling had brightly luminated the room.

The group took their seats at a table in the corner.

"What kind of food do they have here?" Fado asked, squinting her eyes at what the other customers were eating.

"Whatever it is, it smells good." Elott sniffed the air and turned his attention to the back where they could catch a glimpse of the kitchen.

That was when a round woman wearing a short sleeved brown top and a wide blue skirt walked up to them. She was full of smiles as she looked at each of them.

"My word, what cute clothes you all have. I don't believe I ever seen such green clothes around here. Are you all new?"

"We just arrived today," Saria responded. "We're from the Kokiri Forest."

"I never heard of that place, but you said you lived in the forest?" When Kylie and the other fairies appeared, the woman's eyes began to shine. "Fairies! I've always wanted to see one, but I've been unfortunate in that matter. But now…" She slowly moved her hand towards Kylie, but the fairy quickly flew away and hid somewhere behind Saria.

"Sorry, but she's kind of shy."

"Really?" The woman let out a big laugh that shook her belly. "By the way, where are your parents?"

Her question caused the Kokiri to exchange looks between each other. Link heard that his mother died, but he didn't know what happened to his father. The image of the Deku Tree suddenly appeared in his head.

"My parents are dead," Link quietly replied.

"My goodness." The woman shook her head and her smile turned upside down. "I'm sorry to hear that. What about the others?"

Saria and Elott remained silent and it was Fado who spoke up for them. "We have no parents." Her response seemed to have made the woman feel even worse.

"So young and already alone in the world." She took out a handkerchief and blew her nose. "Don't worry, better days are coming." With one large swoop, she gathered the four kids into her arm and squeezed them tightly.

"Link, what's with this woman?" Fado asked while gasping for air.

"Who knows?" Link replied with a small laugh.

Once the woman released the kids from her arms, she turned her body towards the kitchen in the back. "Dear, get out here. There's some children you need to meet!"

They heard feet shuffling and then a tall, but thin man walked out from the back room. He had a small patch of hair on his head and wore a white apron over a black shirt and leggings. "I heard you, what's going on?"

"These kids are orphans."

The man's face softened. "Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. If you need help, then we're willing to do what we can."

The woman nodded. "That's right. I'm Martha and this here is my husband, Delan. He cooks the food here."

"Is there something we can get you folks?"

"Four sandwiches please," Link said, raising four of his fingers.

Delan grunted and then returned to the back.

"They'll be out in a moment," Martha said. "So please relax and enjoy yourselves in the meantime."

"What are sandwiches?" Saria asked after Martha left them.

"You'll see," Link replied with a grin.

"Stop leaving us in suspense and just tell us," Fado demanded and nearly slammed her fist on the table.

Despite Fado's pressure, Link didn't give in and just waited.

As Martha had said, the sandwiches were out pretty quickly.

"Enjoy. If you're still hungry, there's more in the back."

Saria thanked Martha and then peered down at her foot-long sandwich.

The Kokiri just stared at their food so Link quickly explained its components which included the bread, lettuce, slices of tomatoes, cheese and meat. After his explanation was done, they grabbed their sandwiches and took a large bite. The sandwich pieces remained in their mouths as they slowly chewed on it.

"How is it?" Link asked.

Fado turned to him and said something incoherent with a mouthful of food.

"I think she's saying that it's delicious," Saria said after swallowing the pieces in her mouth.

Fado vigorously nodded her head and continued to savor the sandwich in her mouth.

"And what about you Elott?" Link turned to the quiet Kokiri.

"I'm glad that I left the forest," he simply said. His lips curled into a smile.

"That's good then." Link took a bite out of his and recalled the first time he ate one. It felt so long ago, but the taste was exactly how it was back then.

Despite the delicious food, they took their time eating their meal and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the eatery.

"Did y'all like the sandwiches?" Martha asked when the kids finished their last bite.

They each flashed her a thumbs up in response which got Martha grinning from ear to ear. "Then how about seconds?"

"I'd love some…but I'm already feeling full and tired." Fado tried to stifle a yawn with her hand.

"That's a shame, but y'all always welcome here. Do you have a place to stay?"

"We live near the town outside, on a hill," Saria said. "Starting from today though."

"A hill?" Martha knitted her eyebrows for a few seconds. "The one with the run-down log cabin?"

"Do you know it?"

Martha nodded. "We call it Elemia Hill. Nobody really goes there for years now ever since…" She lightly shook her head and then gave them a warm smile. "It's not that bad of a place, but can you even live there?"

"We'll fix it so it'll be much better."

"Then that's good."

The kids talked with Martha and Delan for a few more minutes before they decided to leave. The couple didn't charge them for the sandwiches, but Link felt that he should at least pay for them. There was a lot of back and forth on that issue until the couple agreed to accept payment at a discount.

Fado stretched her arms out once they got outside. "Now that my stomach is satisfied, my brain is asking for sleep."

"We have been traveling for most of the day," Saria noted. "What about the plans to get the home fixed?"

"I'll take care of that tomorrow, but first, let's get some rest," Link suggested. "We'll need some furniture in the meantime though."

"Like sheets and blankets," Elott added.

The other three stopped in their tracks and looked at Elott. "We know a place!"

They scurried over to the vendor they ran into earlier to purchase what they needed. Despite her fatigue, Fado haggled the prices until the vendor gave in and cut several rupees off the price.

* * *

"So tired." Fado plopped onto the newly acquired sheets once she got back from the town. She was out like a light.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Elott asked after letting out a yawn.

"I'll meet the carpenters tomorrow," Link said, feeling fatigue getting the better of him as well.

Saria placed a blanket over Fado and returned to the two boys who sat outside the home, looking up at the starry night sky. "Are they at Celdic?"

"They should still be at Kakariko Village. It's some distance up north of here so I'll head of alone and be back on the day after. Will you guys be alright in the meantime?"

Elott crossed his arms. "Frankly, this whole day has been full of surprises. It's almost as if I'm dreaming of some fantasy world. But either way, I feel like I've gotten used to it. You go do your own thing. We'll be fine." He placed a hand on Link's shoulder and then made his way inside the cabin.

"I didn't expect him to be so impressive."

Saria chuckled. "It might have taken us to leave the forest to truly show who we really are."

Link nodded in agreement and then laid down on the grass. Epona was sleeping a few feet away.

"Are you going to sleep out here?"

"It's warm tonight so I don't mind sleeping underneath the stars."

She laid down beside him. "Then I'll join you. We used to do this a lot back then, didn't we?"

"Sure did."

They remained in their position for the next few minutes. They could still hear the faint noises coming from Celdic. Even at this time of night, the town was still awake. From the distant, an owl hooted and beat its wings.

"I wonder why…" Link suddenly began. "My body is tired, but my mind refuses to sleep."

"Then I'll help with that." Saria pulled out her ocarina and began playing a soft and soothing tune.

The calm melody caressed Link's soul and mind until his eyelids drooped. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Link's body stirred and his eyes slowly opened. Morning had arrived despite some of the dark sky still remained. The farmers and residents nearby were still sleeping. He let out a yawn and then stretched his arms. At some point, somebody laid a blanket over his body. He noticed that Saria had one too.

"Time to go then," he quietly murmured.

Saria and Epona's body both stirred awake when he was fastening his sword and shield to his body.

"You're leaving now?" Saria asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I want to get there before it gets dark."

"Give me a second, I'll join you."

"Alright." After Link gave Epona some water, Saria got back to them, none of the fatigue could be seen in her eyes.

"I left a note for Fado and Elott in case they wonder where we are when they get up."

"Good idea. Now, let's go."

Link got on Epona's back with Saria sitting behind him. With the reins in his hand, he directed Epona forward until she began galloping across the Hyrule Field. The morning breeze blew through them and brought back the rush they felt when they rode through Hyrule field with just the two of them.

They spoke very briefly during their long trip and opted to just enjoy the moment. The time quickly passed and they soon found themselves in front of the wooden gates of Kakariko Village.

* * *

There was a large sign hanging above the wooden gates. It was old and rustic and depicted the Kakariko Village name in fading paint. Even from the outside, they could tell that it wasn't as lively as Celdic. It was more quiet in comparison.

Like the many times he visited the village, standing guard at the front were the same two bored soldiers. They just nodded at Saria and Link and continued with their personal conversations. It was as if they symbolized the more laid-back atmosphere of the village.

They rode through the gates and came into the heart of the village. Several small homes were situated at the base while the others were placed on the slopes that elevated up towards the mountain. Other than the well in the center of the village, the only other structure of note was a large windmill at the far end of the village.

Link turned his head up and looked at the large mountain that towered over them and the village. He wondered how the Gorons were doing since he last saw them.

"That must be Death Mountain," Saria surmised, following his line of sight. "It's massive."

"That's right. I bet you want to meet the Gorons, huh."

"You know me very well," she said, playfully elbowing Link in his side.

"I'm sure they'll like you, but it'll have to wait. I'll bring you there some time later." Link tied Epona to a railing on the side where there was open space and then scratched his head. "Now where would the carpenters be at?"

"Why don't we just walk around until we find them?" Saria suggested, skipping a few steps ahead of him. Her eyes were filled with curiosity that made Link grin in amusement.

They crossed the rural village and nearly ran into a group of kids busy playing a game of tag. As they made their way past the large Cucco pen, several of the Cucco turned and glared at Link. It felt like their gaze was piercing a hole through his chest.

"These Cucco looks like they're angry with you," Saria said as she crouched down near their pen. "Did you do something to them?"

"W-Who knows?" He let out an awkward laugh before pulling her away from the pen. "Come on, let's keep going." He glanced back at the pen and hoped that none of them had escaped again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a new structure that wasn't there before, at least during this time period that is. "Seems like the shooting gallery's done."

"What's a shooting gallery?" Saria furrowed her eyebrows.

"A place where we can shoot things for prizes," Link replied with a grin and then examined the building. It was designed simple much like the other homes in the village. Not particularly big, it didn't really stand out well at all. "Let's check inside." He opened the door and was met with darkness. It took them a few seconds before their eyes adjusted so that they could make out what it looked like from inside.

"There's nothing here," Saria said. The building was completely empty other than the long counter near the back. There was also a door that led further into the building.

"Can we help you with something?"

The two were startled at the sudden voice from behind and Link nearly drew his sword by reflex. They turned around and saw a white mustached middle-aged man wearing an opened blue shirt that revealed his chest and abdomen. Every time Link met the man, he couldn't help, but stare at his large chin.

"I've been looking for you," Link replied.

The man raised an eyebrow. "What business do you have with me?"

"I want you to fix my home and make improvements."

The man looked Link in the eye and kept that gaze for several long seconds. It would've been intimidating to him if he wasn't already used to it. "Do you even have enough Rupees to pay for our services?" He folded his arms and continued looking down at Link.

"I think so…" Link turned and whispered into Saria's ear. "How much does it cost to fix our home?"

"Wait, you don't know?! I wouldn't know either."

Link returned his attention to the man and scratched his cheek. "Is…200 Rupees enough?" His question seemed to have struck a nerve in the man.

"200 Rupees?! Don't waste my time with your childish requests." His tone was getting louder by the second and attracted the attention of several villagers that passed by. "Besides, we are already under contract to do work here."

"Then let me request that your men take a break here and assist the young children instead."

From out of the shadows, Impa appeared with her usual mysterious aura. It seemed like she had been listening in to their entire conversation without them noticing.

"But Lady Impa," the man protested, but was cut off by Impa.

"I will take care of the bill for the additional services."

"I see, then that's alright with me." The man turned to Link.

"Where is your home?"

"Near Celdic."

"That's pretty far away, but it's acceptable." He snapped his fingers and three similar looking, but younger men appeared behind the older man. "We have a new job in Celdic so get your things ready."

The three voiced their displeasure, but was quickly silenced by their boss. One of them noticed Link as a grin appeared on his face. "Is he our new client? He's cute." The three men circled around Link and closely examined him.

Saria was awe-struck at the spectacle, but even she was not able to avoid getting involved.

"Is she your girlfriend? This one's pretty."

Their boss loudly cleared his throat and the three carpenters returned to their original positions. He sighed and then introduced himself. "My name is Mutoh, but everybody calls me the Master Craftsman."

Link and Saria both introduced themselves before the Master Craftsman left to get his things ready.

Impa took this opportunity to approach Link. "I'd like a word with you."

"Don't worry about me," Saria said. "I'll just take a look around the village in the meantime."

"You can leave her to us," one of the carpenters said. "We'll show her around."

"Well, alright." Link returned to Impa. "Where are we headed?"

* * *

Link and Impa made their way to the cemetery at the back of the village and continued even further to a tunnel that descended underground. It was an area where Link hadn't really been to before. The dark passageway reminded him of the bottom of the well and the Shadow Temple. He felt the hair on his arms and legs standing straight up. There were things he was better off forgetting.

The spiraling staircase of stone reached about two stories below the ground. Once Link and Impa arrived at the bottom, they entered a chamber that was barely luminated by the torches that lined up on the walls. At the far end was a picture of a large eye and a teardrop.

"Thanks for covering the fee to fix our home," Link said.

"You don't have to thank me. Thank the Princess who just wanted to look out for your well-being."

"I see. Then I'll be sure to thank her the next time I see her."

Once Impa reached the center of the room, Link could feel a powerful aura radiating from her.

"This room had been used by the Shiekah of old to test and train their abilities. Let's take this opportunity to test your abilities." She slowly drew the short sword that was sheathed on her waistband.

Link frowned and narrowed his eyes. Since he returned to Hyrule, he hadn't gotten into a situation where he feared for his life. Until now. He drew his sword and shield.

"Come at me with everything you have," she demanded in a voice that resounded throughout the room. "Trust me, you won't be able to beat or hurt me."

He gritted his teeth as Impa suddenly disappeared for a moment and reappeared right in front of him. _"She's fast!"_ He instinctively raised his shield to block the incoming slash. It was successful, but Impa followed up with a shoulder bash to his shield that sent him flying across the room.

"Heed my warning, young child."

" _She's right. I don't think I can hold back and win."_ Link charged and then leaped into the air with a jumping slash.

With a simple turn of her body, Impa evaded the slash and kicked him in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of him, leaving him grimacing in pain. Despite that, the Sheikah didn't let up and unleash a flurry of slashes against him.

The pressure left him with no room to counterattack so he was rooted in his spot, blocking against the attacks. To break free of the stalemate, he flipped backwards to create some room and then unleash his own barrage of slashes. Each slash followed with his usual battle cry.

The nimble Impa was not like most of his opponents however. She evaded left and right so he struck nothing, but air each time.

"Concentrate!" She yelled and then blocked an incoming slash. Their blades locked against each other, but Link knew it wouldn't last. She overwhelmed him with her strength and broke the lock before knocking him away into the wall with a kick to his torso.

" _She's too strong!"_ Link gasped for air as he slowly climbed back onto his feet. This time, Impa allowed him time to recover while she maintained her position near the center of the room. He wiped the blood that dripped down his lips and then changed tactics. His body began to lightly glow and in the next moment, his body blew across the room and closed the gap in a flash.

Using his rapid speed, he reversed the situation and placed the pressure on the Sheikah warrior. Moving as swift as the wind, he evaded incoming attacks from the quick short sword and unleashed his own attacks at the same time. The continued pressure pushed Impa farther and farther back until she was pinned against the wall. It was his chance to end the fight, but then, the wind that gave him the advantage had died down.

Noticing the opening, Impa kicked him in his sides and knocked him to the ground. Once again, she created distance between the two of them by backflipping continuously until she was at the center of the room.

None of her attacks had severally wounded him, but the blows were taking a toll on his body.

"What's wrong, is that all?" She taunted, motioning with her hand to continue the fight. "I'm disappointed."

"…It's not over yet," he replied with some difficulty as he forced himself onto his feet again. He slowly breathed in and out so that his nerves and heartbeat would calm down. Feeling his strength returning, he raised his shield to protect his torso and swung his blade in a vertical swipe. A trail of fire shot out of from the tip and blazed toward Impa who effortlessly dodged the flames that collided into the wall. The room was completely luminated for a brief moment as Impa resumed her attack.

Link rolled below a swiping cut and then counterattacked with a quick spinning slash. The Shiekah had to jump into the air to avoid it, but the young warrior anticipated it. He jumped up and swung his blade upward, an attack that would have split a person in two if Impa didn't suddenly disappear. That left Link confused until he felt a pressure coming from his right side. He quickly raised his shield and blocked the incoming kick. Then, he retaliated with a thrust of his blade which came into contact with her blade. The resulting collision caused his body to slid several feet away.

Impa disappeared then reappeared near the center of the room, folding her arms. "Not bad, but how will you deal with this?" She snapped her fingers and all of the torches were blown out leaving the room in complete darkness.

His impaired sight caused his heart to rapidly beat in his chest. He couldn't hear anything else as he turned his body around and around trying to find where she was hiding. It felt like he was getting sucked into the darkness as the seconds ticked by.

"Focus, young one." Impa's voice echoed around the room making it impossible for him to find where it was coming from.

" _She's coming, I know it. I just need to concentrate."_

Link closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. He wasn't sure how much time went by, but his senses seemed to have heightened. He could hear the wind blowing through above ground, small droplets of water falling down on the cold floor, and smelled the scent of burnt wood.

The air around him suddenly changed and he quickly turned his body to where the strong wind pressure was coming from. The room suddenly became luminated once more and he came face to face with Impa. Before he could even swing his sword or raise his shield, Impa delivered a powerful uppercut to his stomach that sent him flying high up into the air. He blacked out for a moment, but was stirred awake when he crashed onto the ground. It felt like his insides had exploded from the impact.

"We're done," Impa declared and walked up to Link who remained lying on the ground. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got rammed into a Goron rolling down a mountain."

"If you could still joke, then you'll be just fine." She gave him one of her rare smiles.

Link sat up straight and rested his body for the next several minutes. The throbbing in his chest and abdomen remained throughout, but was strong enough to hide the other pain from his bruised arms and legs at least.

"Honestly speaking, you did quite well," Impa said.

"Really?" He raised an incredulous eyebrow. "I only recalled getting a beating."

She laughed. "That may have been from your perspective, but from mine, I see potential."

Link's eyes grew wide and silently urged her to continue.

"You show great skill and instinct, much more than when I first saw you sneaking into the castle months ago. It's true that you didn't land any clean hit on me, but you were closer than you realized. The reality is that your abilities are hindered by the frail body you currently have. But after a few years…" She made a small grin. "Who knows?"

Despite her pep talk, Link didn't feel much better. Regardless of his potential, it was clear that he was still not very strong.

Impa folded her arms. "You might have already seen for yourself, but the Gerudo warriors are not just strong and fast, but incredibly skilled as well. Our soldiers are outclassed against them. It will be very difficult to beat them as you are now. And then there's Ganondorf, the man who made a name for himself in the Civil War. Like a raging demon on the battlefield, his strength was on a whole different level from the others and it might be even stronger now." She glanced over at Link. "There's still time to back out of this."

"I've already decided," Link said with conviction.

"Then what do you plan on doing?"

"I'll become a soldier in the army when I'm ready."

"I see…" She stood up and made her way to the exit. "Then I'll look forward to see how much stronger you will become."

Link dusted himself off the ground and then followed after Impa. The sunlight that flashed through his eyes when he reached the surface had momentarily impaired his vision. At some point, Impa had disappeared from his sight.

He made his way through the cemetery and nodded to the grave keeper tending to some overgrown grass. The man just nodded in response and returned to his work.

* * *

"Link, what happened to you?" Saria asked when he returned to the village. She was busy feeding the Cuccos in their pen.

"Just some intense sparing with Impa," he said, laughing it off. There were a few bruises remaining on his face.

She frowned for just a moment and then got off the subject. "The Master Craftsman said it will be a while longer before they set off. Why don't we get something to eat in the meantime?"

"Sounds good."

The two found a small eatery near the newly build shooting gallery. There weren't any tables, just stools lined up at the counter. The owner chef was a pleasant balding man who appeared quite interested in conversations with his customers. Saria and Link exchanged a few words with him as he served them a rice dish with various fruits and vegetables.

When they were done, they left feeling satisfied and energized for their trip back home. As if it was a continuation of their relaxing eating experience, their ears were pleasantly stimulated by a soothing melody when they stepped outside. It was a song that Link knew quite well.

"Isn't this the song that you play for Epona?" Saria asked, recognizing the tune herself.

Link nodded and together, the two of them followed the song to near the village's entrance. From where he left Epona, they saw a red-haired girl gently stroking the horse's mane while singing her favorite song. "Malon," he called out.

The girl stopped singing and turned around, eyes large with delight. "Link, I'd knew you be around here."

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"My dad is making a delivery to the village and I tagged along. But I was caught completely surprised to see Epona here. I'm glad that she's doing fine." She rubbed the top of the horse's head which made her snort with pleasure. She then noticed Saria standing beside him. "I've never seen anyone with green hair before. It's so pretty!"

The Kokiri's face grew red at hearing the compliment. "Thank you. I like your red hair too."

Malon smiled and then said, "You must be Saria then. Link told me a bit about you."

"Did he?" She glanced over at Link who sheepishly averted his gaze.

"So you did brought her out of the forest, after all." Malon shot Link a mischievous grin. "Do you live outside of the forest now?"

Link cleared his throat as Saria answered. "We live near a town called Celdic with two others."

"Celdic huh. That's kind of far away from here, but we do deliver there once a month. I'll be sure to visit then."

"Please do. I'd like to talk to you more when we have time. Link has told me about you too."

Malon jumped up and down with joy. "That sounds great! There aren't many girls my age so it'd be great if we can become friends."

"Did I hear that you made some friends, Malon?" A mustached man in blue overalls approached them.

"I did!" She smiled widely and then motioned at Link. "Also, he's the one I've told you about."

The man looked at Link with curiosity in his eyes. "Then…Link was it? I often wondered about the person who Malon gave her prized horse to." He looked Link up and down and then nodded. "Well, you seem like a fine young man so please take care of Epona for us."

"Don't worry, I will," Link replied.

"My name's Talon. If you need any milk or dairy products, be sure to contact us at Lon Lon Ranch, okay?" He chuckled and then made his way to his wagon that was parked near the entrance. "Come along Malon, it's time to go."

"I'll see you guys next time then. And take this, it's on the house." The red-haired girl winked and then waved goodbye before following her father to their wagon.

"I like her," Saria said after the father and daughter from the ranch left their view. In her hand was a bottle of Lon Lon milk. "She was like how I imagined her to be. How far is the ranch from here?"

Link rubbed his chin. "Not too far. Probably two hours southwest by horse. The castle is pretty close to there too. Are you interested in visiting the ranch?"

"There's supposed to be a lot of animals at a ranch, right? It sounds interesting."

"It sure is. I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to visit."

The two decided to pass the remaining time at a building near the entrance. Saria sat on a wooden bench near the door while Link stood in front of it, looking up at the sign that read, "P.S.G."

Suddenly, the door opened with a bang and slammed right into Link's face. His body collapsed onto the ground and his vision became blurry. He could hear Saria shouting his name in his ear and there was also a figure that stood above him.

"Hey, long time no see, fairy kid."

" _Fairy kid?"_

Once his vision returned to focus, he saw that the figure was of a young man with short black hair that was slicked back. He wore a red open collar shirt, black leggings and boots. On his purple waistband were two short swords. He was about a foot taller than Link.

" _What was his name again?"_

"Sieg?" Link said as he climbed to his feet.

"I'm glad that you remembered," he said, flashing him a smile full of shiny white teeth. "Haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?"

"Just traveling here and there. We live near Celdic now."

"We?" The young man looked over at Saria and grinned. "She's cute. I like your green clothes. And you have a fairy too. Are you guys related?"

"No," Saria replied. "We're from the same area."

"So that's how it is." He extended a hand out to Saria who shook it. "I'm Sieg. I'm also stationed at Celdic where I first met Link. Well, it's actually near there. Good memories." He returned his attention to Link. "So you live around there now?"

"I heard it's called Elemia Hill," Link replied.

Sieg appeared surprised for a moment. "That place, huh. Well, seems like you somehow look much stronger than before…" He ran an eye across Link's body. "That's a cool looking sword and shield you have. You didn't steal them, did you?"

"Of course not."

The young man laughed. "By the way, are you still interested in joining the P.S.G.?"

"P.S.G.?" Saria asked.

"You don't know it?" Sieg's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Well, its full name is the _Public Safety Guard_. We have branches all over Hyrule Field. Our main job is to be like bodyguards for people crossing the field. Lots of dangerous things can be found there like monsters and thieves. The soldiers have their hands full on their routine patrols and defending the towns and villages so we step in to help out. In case you're wondering, we're mostly funded by the central government back in Hyrule Castle. While we do charge for our services, it's a very small nominal fee. We have a branch here in Kakariko as well." He tapped his knuckle on the building's door. "Any other questions, little miss?"

"No," Saria replied. "Your explanation is sufficient. Thank you."

"Okay, then back to you Link. What about it?"

Link placed a hand on his chin and tapped his foot. _"It is a good way to get stronger and gain more experience. I can make money too."_

"I'll give it a try."

"Great, then I'll speak to the boss once we get back to Celdic."

The Master Craftsman walked out of the inn next to the P.S.G. building along with his carpenters. "We're ready to leave when you are." He looked at Link's sword and shield. "I'm thinking that we can just rely on your help without calling on the P.S.G., right?"

"The child is quite capable, I guarantee it." Impa sudden appearance from out of nowhere startled all of those who were present.

"I-If that is what Lady Impa says then we'll believe it."

"I'm heading the same way, so can I catch a ride?" Sieg asked. "I won't charge you or anything."

"Do what you want," the Master Craftsman said, grunting.

"Yes!" Sieg pumped his fist into the air. "Now I don't have to walk back and ruin my pretty feet."

The group then proceeded outside of the gates where two large wagons were attached to two horses each were waiting for them. Link had untied Epona and walked her out of the gate too.

"You could ride with them if you want," Link suggested to Saria. "It might be more comfortable than riding with me."

She shook her head. "I enjoy riding with you so I'm fine with how it is."

"If you say so."

One of the carpenters walked up to them and handed them two small brown cloaks with hoods. "You should take this. Based on those clouds in the sky, I think we'll see some rain. Don't want you kids to catch a cold while you're out here."

"Thanks, Ichiro," Saria said as she took one of the cloaks.

Link's eyes nearly popped out of his eye-socket. The same happened to the carpenters. "Saria…You can tell them apart? They all look the same to me."

"Of course I can. You don't see it?" Saria pointed to the carpenter with red pants. "Ichiro is the one with flat hair." Next was the one with green pants. "Jiro is the one with two pointy hair spikes." Then she pointed at the one with light blue pants. "Saburo is the one with the large puffy hair." She demonstrated the shape of the hair with her arms.

Tears of joy fell down the carpenters' faces as they gathered around Saria. "Nobody has ever been able to tell us apart before!" Ichiro exclaimed.

Jiro jumped up and down in joy. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day."

Saburo wiped the tears in his eyes. "You're like a goddess that descended down to us mere mortals."

"All hail the green goddess!" The three carpenters lifted Saria up and gently tossed her in the air before catching her. They repeated the process countless times. Link was astonished at the scene in front of him, his mouth hanging open. As for Saria though, she just reveled in being tossed into the air, laughing and screaming in joy.

Sieg laughed in amusement at the spectacle until the Master Craftsman broke up the fun and admonished his three employees.

"Ah, that was really fun." Saria fanned herself with her hand and smiled from ear to ear. "There's so many interesting people here."

"And there's still a whole lot more people out there," Link added, extending a hand out to Saria from atop Epona.

"Yeah." She grabbed his hand and climbed aboard. The large group then made their way to Celdic.

* * *

Hundreds of miles to the west, the Gerudo King was standing in the center of a large flat ring. He was garbed in thick chain mail and in his hands were two straight swords. His body relaxed despite the five Gerudo warriors circling around him. Unlike the blades he had, the Gerudo warriors wielded sharp scimitars in each hand.

Two of them launched themselves at the Gerudo King who effortless parried their attacks with his blades and knocked them away with his incredible strength. The other three had already unleashed their own attacks from behind him. With a jump, he leaped backwards and over their attacks. Using the flat side of his blades, he smacked all three of them into the wall.

The first two had gotten up and were now slashing him from both sides. Despite the disadvantage and their incredible speed, the Gerudo King swiftly twisted and turned his body to avoid the ferocious attacks. Then, he swept one of them off her feet using his long leg and then slammed his foot down onto her abdomen. Continuing from there, he grabbed the other one in mid-air and threw her across the room.

The third Gerudo executed a flying jump kick from his side, but he blocked it with his thick arm before punching her in the abdomen.

The fourth Gerudo thrust both of her blades at him, but he swiftly parried and locked her arms with his while she was off balance. He pulled his head back before delivering a powerful headbutt.

The fifth Gerudo maintained her distance and assumed a defensive posture.

The Gerudo King smirked and then charged towards her. In a flash, he disarmed one of her blades with the swipe of his sword. She flipped several times backwards to avoid his next attack, but he quickly closed in and slammed her to the ground.

At this time, the five Gerudo warriors regrouped to catch their breaths. When they had sufficiently recovered, they decided on a focused attack by surrounding the Gerudo King again. In unison, they jumped and swung down their blades at him.

"Enough!" The Gerudo King slammed his blades down to the ground. A black shockwave was unleashed from that spot and blasted the five Gerudo warriors from all sides. They were sent flying into the wall that shook the room on impact. Despite his powerful attack, they didn't lose consciousness and shakily got back to their feet. "Come back when you're all stronger," he ordered.

After saluting him, they walked out of the room.

The Gerudo King snorted and then removed his chainmail, revealing his well-built muscles in his torso and abdomen. After dropping the chainmail to the floor with a loud bang, he walked over to the side of the room where a pail of water was on the table. He took the ladle and drank a mouthful. "Do you need something from me?"

From the doorway, Nabooru entered the room. Her face was full of displeasure. "I heard that you sent some of our warriors out to search for something. What are you looking for?"

The Gerudo King frowned and crossed his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about. And if I did, what business is it of yours?"

"Even if you're the Gerudo King, I still have my duties to safeguard our people." Realizing that she wasn't going to get any answers from him, she left the room in a fit of rage.

"Always the bothersome woman." He put on a black robe and walked outside. When he arrived at the bridge that connected the building next door, he peered down at his people from high above in their fortress. Some were busy training and sparring while others were simply engaging in conversation with each other.

The desert wind blew across his chest as he frowned at some of the younger Gerudos who were in the middle of their own training. He could see that they have yet to hardened their minds and mature. "Our numbers are not enough," he muttered.

"You must be patience, Ganondorf."

His face wrinkled into a scowl. "After one bothersome woman leaves, another appears."

An old woman flying on a broomstick appeared next to him. "Bothersome I may be, but ignorant I am not."

Ganondorf grunted in irritation. "I've waited a long time already so what's a few more years?"

"Very good. We mustn't waste our next opportunity so everything needs to be perfect."

The Gerudo King gazed out into the distance. An image of the throne room in Hyrule's castle appeared in his mind. His lips then curled into a devilish smile.


	4. Scars from the Past

**CHAPTER IV:** **SCARS FROM THE PAST**

Once the group from Kakariko Village departed to Celdic, it didn't take long before the skies to darken. It had been another long day for Saria who wasn't used to traveling such long distances so she fell asleep once the village disappeared from their sights. Link could hear the soft and slow breathing coming from behind him. It was almost relaxing in a way.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sieg watching them from the back of the carpenters' wagon, a sly smile on his face. Link just sighed and concentrated on what's ahead of him.

Since it was evening, it wasn't surprising that they ran into a few Stahlchildren, but they were able to maneuver away from most of them. For those few that were unavoidable, Link dispatched them with his bow and arrows while Sieg provided support with his crossbow. Despite engaging in a few bumpy battles, Saria remained in her dreams.

* * *

It was still evening when the group arrived at Elemia Hill, only a few hours until the morning sun makes its appearance. The carpenters parked their wagon next to the log cabin. It wasn't surprising that the sleeping Kokiri, including Saria, had woken up to the sounds of heavy wheels and horses running through their front yard.

"Hey guys, you just got back?" Fado asked, still half asleep and rubbing her left eye.

"Seems like it," Saria replied as she stretched her arms. "Time really flew by in a moment, huh."

"I wish I could say the same thing," Link said with a crooked smile.

Mutoh had ordered his men out of the wagon and set up their tents nearby. While they were busy doing that, he held his chin in his hand and examined the dilapidated home with narrowed eyes. There was an aura around him that kept others away while he was in the middle of doing calculations in his mind.

"This is a terrible place to live in," he finally said with a grunt.

"Then you can't make it better?" Link asked, becoming concerned.

"I said it's a terrible place to live in, not that I can't do anything about it," he spat. "My magic has no limits."

Link, Saria, Fado and even Sieg's eyes grew wide with admiration.

"We'll talk about the specifics tomorrow morning, but me and my men need a few hours of rest now." He grunted and then made his way over to where his men were setting up the tents. The children quickly heard a loud slap and then some angry yelling from the Master Craftsman.

"Nice place you got here, Link…well sort of," Sieg said while his gazed fell onto the log cabin.

"Who's this guy?" Fado asked, pointing her thumb at the young man.

" _This_ guy?" Sieg repeated with an eyebrow raised. "You should treat your elders with a little more respect, little lady."

"You don't seem like an elder to me," she said, arms folded defiantly.

Sieg's mouth dropped down in shock. He then moved over to Link and whispered, "Is she disrespecting me?"

"Yes."

"Even though I'm older than her?"

"Yes."

"Even though I'm bigger than her?"

"Yes."

"Even though I'm stronger than her?"

"Yes."

Sieg just stared at Link with perplexed eyes. After several long seconds, he stood up straight. "Well, I'm out. I have a comfy bed waiting for me at the P.S.G. building. It's good meeting you Saria, and…" He looked at Elott who had remained silent up until now.

"Elott," he said.

"Elott then. It's nice to briefly meet you too." He glanced over at Fado and muttered. "Short blond girl."

"It's Fado," she said with great displeasure.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, Link. I'll be at the P.S.G. all day so just drop by whenever." After a wave of his hand, he made his way down the hill and back to the road towards Celdic.

"Weird guy," Fado muttered when Sieg left their sights. "Friend of yours?"

"Sort of." Link forced out a laugh and then moved to quickly change the subject. "Well, the carpenters are already here so our home should turn into something great in no time."

"That's good then."

"By the way, how was that village you guys went to?" Elott asked. "Kakariko Village, was it?"

A wide smile appeared on Saria's face. "Quiet and peaceful. I like the people there too."

"Then I'd like to go someday."

Fado yawned and then rubbed her eyes again. "Hey, let's go back to sleep and talk more later."

"Yeah, good idea." Link didn't realize how tired he was until Fado brought it up. Just looking at the starry night sky had made his eyelids droop.

* * *

Link was still sleeping when he heard heavy footsteps shuffling around the yard outside and loud voices shouting back and forth. His body stirred for a few seconds before his eyes opened and was nearly blinded by a ray of light that shone through the hole in their roof.

"Is it morning or noon?" He groggily asked of nobody in particular. He stretched out his arms and back and then went outside where he saw the carpenters moving back and forth between their wagons and the area next to their home. They were piling wooden boards and bricks.

The three Kokiri were standing next to Mutoh who was once again eyeing the roof and discussing something with Fado.

"Had a good sleep?" Saria asked when she saw him approach them.

"A really good one."

"I've been talking to the girl here about expanding the cabin," Mutoh said.

"That's right," Fado confirmed. "The house is pretty small already so I think we need to build additional rooms, one for each of us. Then also a kitchen, a washroom, and a large room where we could all sit together."

"That does sound like a good idea," Link said, still feeling the effects of a long sleep. Their log cabin wasn't cramped, but there wasn't that much room with the four of them together. He glanced over to the two other Kokiri. "Do you guys want to add anything else?"

"Fado already said most of what we need," Elott said. "Maybe also a small stable for Epona and pen to keep animals."

"Good one," Fado said with an approved nod.

"I don't really need anything else either, except a place where we can make a garden and plant things," Saria added.

"Also a good one."

"I think that covers everything then," Link said to Mutoh.

"That's a lot more work than I anticipated, but since Lady Impa is covering all of the bills, we'll go ahead and get this done. "We'll need a few weeks, more than a month." Once the general plan was finalized, the Master Craftsman gathered his men to discuss what to do going forward.

"I can't wait to see how our home turns out once it's done," Fado said as she jumped up and down in joy. Once she stopped, she suddenly grabbed Elott's arm. "It's almost time for us to begin work."

"Work?" Saria exchanged perplexed looks with Link.

"While the both of you were heading to Kakariko, we spent most of the day just going through the town. We figured that we should start earning money since it seemed to be really important in Hyrule."

"You caught on quicker than I'd expected," Link said with an approving nod. "I'm surprised."

"We might be young, but we're not stupid, Link." Fado pouted with her hands on her hip.

Elott smiled at his friend's reaction. "It didn't take much for us to see how different the role of money was here. We had our shops in the forest, but they weren't really necessary, just something the Great Deku Tree forced on us. Now that we're out here and can see how people lived, things just started making sense."

"So you both found jobs in just one day?" Link asked.

"Yeah, I was getting to that," Fado said, her face glowing with pride. "I went back to Delan's Deli for lunch and I mentioned that I was looking for a job. That's when Martha said that they could use another waitress. Long story short, I accepted it. It's been pretty fun so far getting to talk to so many different people. Plus, I get to wear the cute waitress clothes." As her eyes sparkled while gushing about the clothes, Saria leaned in to Link.

"Sounds like she found the perfect job."

"You got that right," Link replied and then moved his attention away from the girl lost in her own world. "What about you, Elott?"

"It's nothing fancy, but I work at the library."

"Library?" Link knitted his eyebrows. Despite having been accustomed to the outside world for some time now, he never heard anything about a library. "What's that?"

"You don't know what's a library?" Suddenly, the air between them became thick and heavy. Before Link could figure out what was going on, it disappeared and was replaced by a suddenly energized Elott. "It's a place that gathers various books and loans them out to people. It's like I found a treasure trove." He clasped his hands and gazed upward at the bright blue sky. "It's like being in heaven, surrounded by books."

" _He probably has stars in his eyes too,"_ Link thought as an amused smile spread on his face.

Elott suddenly froze and then recomposed himself. "Anyway, like I was saying, I work in the library now."

"Then congratulations to the both of you," Saria said. "I should look for a job too since everybody has something to do." She glanced over at Link who was now looking over at Celdic in the distant. "Link, you're joining the P.S.G., right?"

"We've heard of the P.S.G. too. I didn't know you were interested in joining, but it does fit you though."

"When we met Sieg, he brought it up. He's also a member."

" _That_ guy?" Fado said with a heavy frown. "He seems suspicious. You can tell by his weird hair."

"I think he's a good guy…probably," Link replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just make sure to keep your eyes open when he's around." Fado then tugged on Ellot's arm. "Come on, it's time to go to work."

As the two Kokiri walked off towards Celdic, Saria breathe out a heavy sigh. "To think they would get accustomed so quickly. I feel like I'm being left behind."

"It is pretty quick, but I think you can say the same thing about yourself," Link said.

"Really?"

"Yup." Link recalled yesterday's event where she was laughing with joy while being tossed into the air. "After a few days, I'm sure everything will be normal for you." He gave her a friendly pat on her shoulder and then left to get his sword and shield. It was time for him to meet with Sieg.

* * *

Link found the young man outside the large P.S.G. building just passed the front gates of Celdic. He was asleep on a wooden bench and showed no signs of waking up soon. Link bent down and placed his mouth near the sleeping young man's ear. "Hey, wake up!"

Sieg's eyes shot open and then his body rolled over the bench and fell to the ground. "And I had such a nice dream too…" He let out a yawn and then scratched his back. "The next time I have to wake you, I'm getting payback."

"I'll remember that." Link grinned and then looked pass the young man at the sign above the door. "Is now a good time?"

"Yeah, I think the captain's in at least." Sieg made his way to the door. "Let's go."

Link followed after Sieg and entered the lobby. There were a few paintings of various landscapes hanging on the walls. To their left was a counter with an old woman behind it. She was busy running her eyes down a list when they walked up to her. The woman's face was full of wrinkles and she seemed to have gotten more as her eyes fell on Sieg and then on Link.

"Yo, Agnes," Sieg greeted with a flash of teeth. "Is the captain in?"

The old woman hardly moved despite the young man's energetic greeting. She just coughed and cleared her throat. "Hasn't left since the morning. He's out back."

"Good."

Link continued after Sieg as he crossed the lobby and entered a hallway filled with wooden doors from both sides.

"This looks like an inn," Link noted with interest.

"It used to be one before it got converted to the P.S.G. branch building," Sieg explained while quietly greeting some of the men and women they ran into. "There's a new one on the other side."

At the end of the hallway were a set of stairs as well as a door to the side. "We're here," Sieg announced after walking through the door that lead outside to a large open area. It was enclosed by a portion of the stone wall that surrounded the town along with some wooden fences. At the far end were a dozen circular targets painted on a wooden board. To the far left were the stables that included a few horses currently enjoying their lunch.

A few yards to their right were several people standing near a long table that had dozens of weapons and equipment on it. Such weapons included swords, spears, crossbows, knives and even shields to name a few. It was like somebody had ransacked a small armory and scattered everything they found on the table.

"Who's the kid?" A burly mustached man asked. He wore a bronze chestplate over a thin brown shirt. On his legs were simple brown pants and boots. His arms were so thick that it could've crushed multiple Deku nuts with his biceps.

"His name's Link," Sieg replied. "He's the one I've told you about."

"Ah, the one who wants to join the P.S.G.?" The man narrowed his eyes. "He's younger than I thought."

Standing beside the man were three younger men in their late teens, a fat one, a tall slim one and a short one. All of them wore similar clothing to the older man.

"This kid wants to join us?" The fat one snickered as he pointed a pudgy finger at Link.

"That's a funny joke," the tall one added. "He probably thinks he's some hero just because he goes around carrying a sword and shield."

The short one shook his head with a disapproving look. "He'll just get himself killed."

"I've seen what he can do," Sieg interjected, his voice surprisingly calm. "And I can say that he's much better than the three of you."

"What was that?!" The three young men took a few angry steps towards Sieg.

The fat one pulled up his sleeves. "You think you can get away with insulting us?"

"Silence, all of you!" The older man shouted. The three younger men clenched their teeth, but obeyed nonetheless. He moved closer to Link. "My name is Brianos, captain of the P.S.G. branch in Celdic. Sieg is one of the most skilled here despite his young age. If he has faith in your abilities, then I'll do the same."

"Thank you, you won't regret it." Link replied.

"With that being said, I'd like to test your abilities so that I can properly gauge what you can do."

"What do you want me to do then?"

"How about a sparring match against the three of them, at the same time," Sieg suggested with a devilish grin. "Link can easily take care of these three clowns."

"Can he now?" Brianos mouth curved into an amused smile. "Very well, I'll allow it."

"Fine, we'll make you regret saying that," the fat one said with a smirk.

"If you want, then we can have everybody use wooden weapons instead."

"That's not necessary," Link said as he drew his sword and shield.

The tall one grabbed his sword from the table. "We don't take kindly to those who act cocky."

The three P.S.G. men circled around Link as Brianos and Sieg cleared away to a safer distance.

" _Three on one. Not easy, but it shouldn't be as difficult as fighting Impa."_

The fat one charged forward and swung his blade down on Link which he easily intercepted with his shield. After successfully blocking the attack, he smacked the the fat one's hand and disarmed the blade. Then, he rammed his shield into the heavy man's body and knocked him to the ground.

Two swords came swinging across his back. Link pivoted his foot and turned his body around to evade the two attacks. With the back of his blade, he swiped it against the backside of the tall one's leg and swept him off the ground.

Once he saw his fellow two comrades fall to the ground in the blink of an eye, the short one took several steps back while mindlessly swinging his blade and keeping his shield up. "S-Stay away, or else!" Because of the young man's short height, his shield covered a good portion of his upper body.

Link raised his shield and held it close to his body while slowly inching closer to the fear stricken young man. When he got to within striking distance, he stopped and carefully watched the swinging blade. His breathing slowed and his senses became stronger. Then, as the blade thrust forward in a stab, Link rammed his shield into the blade causing it to bounce off and momentarily stopped the wild swings. Before the short young man could recover, Link leaped over his head and landed right behind him. His exposed back was met with a powerful forward kick that knocked him off balance and then falling onto the ground. His face fell right into a small mound of wet dirt.

"The match is over," Brianos declared once Link kicked the short young man's sword away from his hand. "Very impressive, Link."

Sieg got up from his seat and slapped Link across his back. "Yeah, good going."

Link blew out a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword and shield.

"I heard that you're also good with the bow," Brianos said, gesturing towards the targets at the far end. "How about another display?"

"Alright."

The three of them made their way across the grounds and stopped on a white painted line on the ground. Brianos pointed to the target straight ahead. "We're about 50 feet away. Think you can hit that?"

Without a word, Link drew his bow and focused his sight on the distant target. He breathed in and kept it there for the next three seconds before he released the arrow that was sent flying straight into the target.

Brianos grunted in approval. "I've seen everything I need to do. You may be young, but your abilities are outstanding. Come, I have a job for you."

* * *

While Link was taking care of business at the P.S.G., Saria was sitting on the porch and mindlessly watching some of the carpenters cutting and nailing some wood together. It seemed like they were getting started with the outer frame of the new expansion rooms. The other carpenters were on the roof removing the old rustic shingles and tiles.

"I'm bored…" she mumbled and then blew out a heavy sigh. With the other Kokiri and Link out with their work, it struck her that she didn't think much about what she was going to do with her life from now on.

" _And I thought Link was shortsighted sometimes."_

Her eyes hovered over to a patch of grass and dirt next to their home. "Oh right, we were going to make a garden. I might as well get it started." She got up on her feet and then recalled that they didn't bring any seeds with them. "Maybe Link has something we can use."

She ran into the house and quickly located some of Link's belongings that he kept in the corner of the room. After rummaging through some of his things, she pulled out a small bag. "Isn't this what Mido gave Link before we left?" She shook it a few times and then poured out some of its contents onto her hand. Her eyes grew large with delight. "Deku Fruit Seeds!"

Despite the abundance and variety of food that were sold at the marketplace in Celdic, she was quite disappointed that she couldn't find anybody selling the fruits when they first went through there. Link later told her that he never saw any Deku fruits during his time roaming through Hyrule. Since it was a favorite food among the Kokiri and even Saria as well, she couldn't contain the thrill of being able to grow them here.

"Thank you, Mido, we owe you one." She gently returned the seeds to the bag and quickly located a rusted shovel from the shed behind the cabin. "Time to get to work." She first created a border of the garden she envisioned in her mind by digging a small line into the soil that eventually formed a large rectangle. Afterwards, she started working on the digging the soil within the border she created.

Moments later, the four carpenters noticed her work and gathered around her.

"Leave that to us," Ichiro said as he moved to take the shovel away from her. "We can't let a frail small girl go through such a physical intensive task."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine really." Saria held onto the shovel as Ichiro continued to try to pull it away from her.

The other carpenters echoed their sentiments as Mutoh walked up to them. "What is going on here?" His lips curved into a deep frown.

"Saria's working on her garden and we wanted to help," Jiro quickly explained.

"You lot want to skip out on your main work and help her?" The Master Craftsman narrowed his eyes and shot an angry glare at each of the carpenters. The pressure was so heavy that the carpenters were already backing away.

"W-We would have to eventually work on the garden anyway…" Saburo stammered, his voice trailing into a timid mumble.

Mutoh clicked his tongue. "Fine, but only for an hour. After that, you're all putting in double time for our main work."

"Eh, double time?!" The carpenters cried out in shock, already looking like they regret their kind offer.

"Do you have a problem with that?" The Master Craftsman shot them each with his signature angry glare.

"N-No, sir." With lowered shoulders, the carpenters retrieved their own shovels and began digging the soil. There was a mix of content and disappointment in their eyes.

"I really could've done it by myself," Saria said, her eyes were filled with guilt as she watched the carpenters.

Mutoh quietly admonished the Kokiri. "Don't overestimate your abilities. In our eyes, you're all still children so you shouldn't feel bad in accepting help. And besides, I think they'll be more motivated by helping you. They'll just start slacking off if they got back to what they were doing anyway."

As Mutoh made his way back to where the wooden pieces had been worked on, his words kept repeating itself through Saria's head. _"Children, huh. That's right, we're still children."_ For all of their years in the forest, the Kokiri simply relied on each other as equals. There were no adults to help carry certain burdens in their lives. "It's a weird feeling." She glanced over at the carpenters who despite appearing lackadaisical most of the time, were putting in their full effort in plowing the soil. "Regardless, it doesn't mean I should just sit back and relax." She wiped her forehead with a cloth and joined the others.

* * *

An hour flew by in a flash and the carpenters returned to their original task, but not before loudly expressing their displeasure. Saria continued for another hour before her strength began leaving her arms. She thrust her shovel into the soil and leaned against it for support.

"Here, drink this." Mutoh suddenly appeared next to her and handed her a bottle of water. "My slackers could learn a thing or two from you."

"Thanks." She gulped down the entire bottle in three seconds and finished with a refreshing exhale. For such a stern man, she found the Master Craftsman to be surprisingly kind.

"Like I said earlier, don't overestimate what you can do. While I do appreciate the help, this is also part of our job."

"But-."

"Isn't there something else that you should be doing?"

His final words had left her suddenly speechless. She remained in her spot as if her feet were rooted to the ground even after he had left.

" _What should I be doing?"_ The question continued to repeat itself through her mind. Link, Fado and Elott all had something to do and despite how minor it may seem, they were already moving on with their lives. She on the other hand, was stuck where she was without any direction on where to go. _"I'm the only one that has no idea. No dreams, no goals, no plans, nothing."_ She laughed. _"And to think I accused Link of not planning ahead. I'm guilty of going along at the spur of the moment."_

She gazed over at the busy town of Celdic. It was a place with many opportunities, and hopefully, one for her too.

* * *

Without much thought, Saria made her way to Celdic. Unlike the last time she was here, the sun was still bright out and the scenery was much clearer. The marketplace wasn't as nearly as crowded. The vendors weren't as lively in their advertisements either.

"Link's probably at the P.S.G. building which was probably that big one near the entrance. Fado should be over at Delan's Deli. Elott is at the library…wherever that is." She found herself at the middle of the Central Plaza which connected to the other districts and areas of the town. The only other area she had been to was in the western area where the deli was located.

"Maybe I should explore the town too." Her head turned from one direction to another, unsure of where she should start. "This is harder than expected." Frustration began to sink into her mind. "Then let's have fate decide." She picked up a stick on the ground and then tossed it high into the air. It spun around like the Peahat's sharp leaves and then fell to the ground. The sharp end of the stick pointed towards the eastern side. "If only everything was this simple." With a smile on her face, she headed down the unknown side of town.

Instead of some dark and dangerous area that she had secretly worried about, the eastern side was a quiet and pleasant place. There were many homes lined up relatively close to each other. Some were fortunate enough to have front and back yards. It felt like being at Kakariko Village, but unlike the houses she saw there, the houses here appeared brighter due to the paint that coated them. These houses were bigger too which consisted of multiple levels.

Several children were racing down the road while their mothers stood nearby, engrossed in their routine conversations and gossips. They likely weren't concerned about jobs and the future at their age.

Suddenly, something hairy brushed against her leg. She let out a shriek that drew the attention of the mothers for a moment before they returned to their conversation as if nothing serious had happened. In fact, that had been the case, much to her embarrassment. Her face burned bright red when she saw a black cat walking past her.

"I can't tell anybody that I was just frightened by a cat."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything," Kylie said, stifling a giggle.

Saria frowned and tried to slap the evasive fairy. After several failed attempts, she quickly continued down the road and away from the curious glances that some of the children were shooting her.

The road eventually curved to the left and once she got past it, she saw the same black cat walking through the door of a house on the side. As she approached the house, a loud crash had startled her once again. She peered through the doorway and couldn't see much of anything at first because of the sunlight from outside. "Umm, is everybody okay in there?"

While her eyes were being adjusted to the dark room, she heard a man coughing.

"Thanks for asking, but I'm okay. I just accidentally knocked a few bottles off the shelf and scattered a cloud of dust around me. If you don't mind, can you turn on that lantern for me? It's by the door to the left."

"I don't mind," she said, taking a few steps through the door. It was still a little dark so her hands were stretched out trying to find the lantern. "Okay, I found it." She turned it on and the room became brightly illuminated, revealing a shelf full of bottles and another shelf at the far end that was full of thick books. There was a wooden counter near the front and the wide opened area she was currently in had a few scattered chairs. On the left and right were others rooms, but she couldn't tell what were in those rooms. _"This doesn't really seem like a home."_

"Thanks for turning on the light," the man said. Pieces of broken shards of glass were left near his feet.

"Wait, let me help you clean those up," Saria quickly said, glancing around the room.

"I'll gladly take you up on your offer. The broom and dustpan is behind the counter."

"Got it." Saria spent the next few minutes clearing away the broken glass shards. Once she was finished, she found the man resting on a chair. He appeared to be in his late forties with a round nose and unkempt beard. He wore a long white coat that almost reached to the floor. The black cat she saw earlier was resting near his foot.

"Thanks, I appreciate you clearing away the mess." He wiped the sweat on his forehead with a cloth and blew out a sigh. "My assistant just recently got married and abruptly quit so I've been having trouble finding things." He let out a dry laugh.

"Assistant? What is it that you do if you don't mind me asking?"

"My apologies, I didn't introduce myself yet. My name is Milo, a medical doctor working and living in this small clinic." He bent down and stroked the cat's back. "And this one who likes to wander around is Mary."

"So you're a medical doctor…as in a person who heals people?"

"We aren't miracle workers, but it's not bad to think of it like that. But what are you doing here? I don't recall seeing you before."

"I actually just moved here recently along with some friends. I didn't have much to do so I was just wandering around myself and eventually overheard the crash."

"Nothing to do eh…" Milo leaned against his chair and stroked his beard. That was when Kylie made her appearance around Saria's head, floating back and forth. "Oh, I was hearing talk about children with fairies appearing around here. So you're one of them." An amused smile spread on his face. "This might be fate. Say, would you happen to be interested in becoming my assistant?"

"What?" Her eyes grew wide with shock as she never expected to get offered a job.

"As you know, my assistant left and I'm really no good with memorizing where we keep certain things or even maintaining this place. I should ask though, do you have any experience with medicine or treating wounds?"

"Well, I know how to make some ointments using some leaves and fruits, but that's it."

"That's good enough for me!" He let out a loud merry laugh. "I don't mind teaching you and you seem like a quick learner. You'll be a capable nurse in no time. With some work, I'm sure you can be a full fledge doctor yourself. And did I mention that I'm one of the few humans that have treated Gorons and Zoras before?"

" _A doctor? Me?"_ She then saw an image of Link fighting in the battlefield, his body bloodied and full of cuts and wounds. Before she knew it, there was a stirring in her soul. Her heart beat quickened. Deep down inside, a flame had been lit and it continued to grow larger and stronger each second. The cloudy haze that had been reflected in her eyes was replaced by a newfound burning determination.

"I'll do it," she loudly declared.

Milo was visibly taken aback by her loud voice, but appeared even more amused than before. "I think I've made a very good decision today. And what's the name of my new assistant?"

"Saria," she said, a wide smile plastered on her face.

* * *

Brianos' office was surprisingly small, or at least it seemed that way due to his large frame. He took a seat behind his desk as Link and Sieg took their seats in front of it. The light shining through the window behind Brianos had partially obscured Link's vision so he had to turn his head slightly to the side.

"I have a mission for the both of you," Brianos began, crossing his arms. "In about 30 minutes, some of the merchants from the Klein Group will be making a trip over to Saelan. I want the both of you to escort them to their destination."

"Sounds easy enough," Sieg said as he placed his arms behind his head. "Just another mission."

Brianos scowled at Sieg's comments. "It may very well be just another mission, but you should always keep your guard up."

"Don't worry, I got it." The young man dismissed the veteran with the wave of his hand.

The P.S.G. captain shook his head and then turned his attention to Link. "I heard that you're new to the area. Do you have any questions?"

"I've heard of Saelan before, but where is it located?"

"It's far out in the southwest. Expect about a day's travel to get there."

"Then it's going to be another long ride, huh," Link mumbled under his breath.

"We've had escorts to Saelan many times before so like Sieg said, it's kind of routine. But recently…" He paused and glanced out the window. "Times are changing." He shot a knowing look at Sieg who nodded his head. "Regardless, I have faith that the both of you would smoothly complete this mission. And Link…" He walked around the table and shook his hand. "Welcome to the P.S.G."

* * *

The two P.S.G. members went outside to the front of the branch building. Sieg stretched his arms and exhaled loudly.

"There's less than 30 minutes left before we head out so let's get ready in the meantime. I'll get us some food to go and meet you back here."

"Okay," Link said. "Then I'll return home to get my horse."

The two went their separate ways and about 20 minutes later, Link returned to the meeting spot while riding on Epona. That was when he saw Saria coming out of the marketplace. She had a hop and a skip in her gait.

"You seem to be in a cheery mood," Link said after he hopped off of Epona. "Did something happen?"

"Actually…" She paused for dramatic effect. "I got a job!"

"Really?! That's great." He high-fived her with two hands and mirrored her jubilant expression. "What kind of job?"

"Guess."

The Hylian tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "A vendor?"

"That would be fun, but no. I got hired as a doctor's assistant!"

Link's mouth formed an 'o' as he processed what he heard. "Doctors heal people, right? Then you'll be helping out with that?"

"Yup."

"That's great! You always did take care of our injuries when we used to get hurt. I think it suits you."

"Thanks, I think the job really resonated with me." Epona walked up next to her and snorted. "Are you congratulating me too?" She stroked the horse's head as she neighed happily. "What's Epona doing here?"

"Well, I have news too. I was accepted into the P.S.G. and I'm about to go on a mission to the town of Saelan. I'll be escorting a merchant there. Can you let the others know? We can talk more on the day after when I return."

"Alright, but remember to stay safe, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"As long as you remember." She waved goodbye and made her way out of town.

A minute later, Sieg came out from behind the P.S.G. building riding on his horse. He tossed a sandwich that Link effortlessly caught. "I heard you've been back to Delan's Deli."

"The first place we stopped by since coming here actually."

"I ran into that blond girl there er…Fado was it? I can't believe she works there now. Seems like I have to expect an earful every time I go there now."

Link let out a laugh before he took a bite of the sandwich.

"I've been meaning to ask you, but what happened to your fairy?"

Link stopped chewing and stared at Sieg. He was silent for a moment before he resumed chewing and then swallowed the large sandwich piece. "She's gone," he simply replied.

Sieg raised an eyebrow. "Gone, huh. Don't tell me…" He wrapped an arm around Link's shoulders. "I see how it is. Things like that just happens in life. Even I went through it. Don't dwell on it too much. As they say, there's plenty more fairies out there."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I suddenly feel offended." Link shook Sieg's arm off.

The older youth grinned as a large wagon pulled up a few feet in front of them. The side of the wagon was painted with the words, "Klein Group."

"What's Klein Group?" Link asked.

"I guess you wouldn't know since you didn't stay here for very long. It might be a good idea to remember who they are as they are one of the largest merchant groups in Celdic. They specialized in cotton and they have a cotton farm a few clicks from here. They also have cotton gins there which I'm not too familiar myself."

Just when he finished his explanation, a young man in his early twenties got off the wagon and approached them. His short brown hair was neatly combed to the side. He wore a long-sleeved blue vest over a gray undershirt. His bottoms consisted of wooden sandals and black shorts that reached well past his knee.

"It's good seeing you, Sieg," the young man said with a wave. "Ready to depart?"

"Yeah, we're ready."

The young man noticed Link looking at him. "Are you new to the P.S.G.?:

"I just joined today."

"I didn't know they accepted such young children."

"Don't let Link's size fool you, he's good," Sieg said.

"If Sieg is willing to vouch for you then it must be true. I'm Gio, heir to the Klein Group. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Link shook the young man's hand.

"Well, it's about time we head out," Sieg reminded them as he got back on his horse.

"Then I leave our safety in your capable hands," Gio said with a half grin and returned to his wagon.

Without another word, Link climbed onto Epona and the two P.S.G. members followed after the departing merchant wagon.

* * *

The group had been riding for hours when they saw the large stone bridge that connected the southwestern field region with the south-central region. It appeared quite small from the distant, but visibility did dropped as evening arrived.

"How are you holding up over there?" Sieg asked as he stretched his arms. They were both riding side by side and just a few feet away from the wagon.

"I'm still doing fine," Link replied with the flex of his small biceps. "And you?"

"Do you even need to ask? I've been doing this for a long time now so I'm used to these long rides."

"How long do we have left until we reach Saelan?"

Sieg's eyebrows wrinkled as he thought about the question. "We're probably around the halfway mark. You've never been there before?"

Link shook his head. "Nope, never. How is it?"

"It's bigger than Celdic and it used to be a pretty grand place, but it lost a lot of its luster after the civil war."

Link's ear twitched at the mention of the civil war. He recalled the time he had a conversation with the Deku Sprout about his origins. Never before then did he heard much about the war. "Do you know a lot about the civil war?" Link asked.

"Pretty much what most people know these days." Sieg shrugged his shoulders and took a closer look at Link. "I was just a kid during its final years and I guess you were just a baby then."

"I don't know anything about it all, so would you mind telling me what you know?"

A wry smile appeared on the young man's face. "Eh, why not? We got a long road ahead of us anyway. Now where should I start?" He looked out into the horizon and appeared to have gotten lost into his memories. "I'm not sure when the war actually started. Probably before when I was even born. Back then, Hyrule wasn't as united as it is now even though it did have control over pretty much everything within Hyrule Field. It also had ongoing conflicts with the Gerudo from the west, the Gorons from the east, and the Zoras from the north. Because of disagreements, we just didn't get along with them so fights were constantly breaking out. These were all relatively small fights so we weren't really at war or anything though." He craned his neck towards Link. "Following me so far?"

"Yeah," Link replied with a nod.

"Anyway, there was also a rampant bandit problem that plagued the land. At some point, a large number of people in the south had become fed up with the richer nobles who had lived much more luxurious lives than they did. They also started to hate the King and his government for neglecting them in their bandit problem. Somebody then had the brains to organize these angry people so a powerful force was created in the south. Called the Remor Army, taken from the name of the village where it started. They began their march towards the castle in the north. Along the way, they slaughtered and killed all those that opposed them. Did I mention that these were very angry people? Anyway, some towns and villages were partially reduced to ruins from the fighting."

Link swallowed the large amount of saliva that collected in his mouth. "Then what happened?"

"As you might have figured out, Saelan was one of those towns along the way. It did last much longer than the others despite being so far in the south. If only…" Sieg trailed off for a moment and Link saw what seemed to be anger in his eyes. "As if that wasn't enough, the conflicts with the Gerudos, Gorons and Zoras got even worse so it was full blown war with them at the same time."

"How did the king even end the war?" Link's eyes were wide opened. He had become completely engrossed in the story.

"I'm sure you know this by now, but the Zoras, Gerudos and Gorons eventually swore their allegiance to the king. Without the wars with them and having to fight on multiple fronts, the king and his army could concentrate on the Remor Army. That was all it took to finally end the war."

"So that's how it happened." Link had an image of battles full of soldiers and ordinary looking people equipped with weapons. Then there were the Zoras and Gorons killing people. These images and thoughts weren't something he could've even conceived during his time spent traveling throughout Hyrule. _"Did Darunia and King Zora kill people too?"_ A chill ran through his spine.

"What's wrong, Link?" Sieg asked, a rare look of concern on his usual happy go lucky face. "Did you find the story disturbing?"

"Yeah, kind of," Link sadly admitted. "What happened to the Remor people?"

"I'm not really sure. Last I heard was that they got chased through the Fyre passage located in the far south. I don't know if they're still over there are not."

Link shook his head. "I had no idea that Hyrule had such a history."

"Yeah, kind of crazy when you think about it. And there's still more to it, but I think you're better off hearing it from somebody else. Since you live in Celdic, I'm sure you'll hear another side to it."

"What do you mean?"

Sieg just remained silent and continued looking straight ahead. "Now I'm starting to feel weird after thinking about it." He forced out a sad laugh and then his expression became grimed. "I have a feeling that we may see another war soon."

Link's eyes opened wide in alarm. "What makes you say that?"

"The P.S.G. hears things even if the soldiers don't tell us everything. Patrols are more commonly seen than ever before and there's a lot of activities in the west. My bet is that it has something to do with the Gerudo."

There was a heavy mood that weighed on Link ever since the story began. It felt like something was tightly gripping his heart. Link looked down at his hands. "The truth is, I'm going to join the Hyrule army in a few years."

"You serious?" Sieg nearly fell of his horse, but caught himself at the last second. "Why do you even want to do that?"

"Is there anything wrong with fighting to protect people?"

"No, but it's not going to be that simple."

"I know."

"Do you really?"

Link looked straight into the young man's eyes until he was forced to look away.

"I can see that you're serious," Sieg mumbled and shook his head. "If a war breaks out with the Gerudo by then, you'll probably run into Ganondorf, you know? I heard that guy's a monster."

"Yeah, that's what I think will happen," Link calmly responded.

Sieg shook his head in disbelief at what he was hearing. "You got crazy guts, kid."

That was the end of their conversation and they rode in silence for the next few hours. They eventually reached a clearing at the side of the road with a large stream passing through it.

"Do you mind if we take a short break here?" Gio called out.

"Sounds like a good idea actually," Sieg said and exchanged a nod with Link.

All of the horses were directed towards the stream to rehydrate. Link and Sieg got back on foot and surveyed their surroundings while Gio and his men went to the stream and refilled their water canteens.

"Keep your eyes peeled since it's night time after all," Sieg warned.

"Got it." Link opted to scour the southern side while Sieg went off in the opposite direction in the north. Other than the sound of streaming water and their horses, it was like another quiet night. A breeze blew through and ruffled the grass and leaves. _"Actually, it's kind of too quiet. I don't hear any other animals."_ A bony hand suddenly rose from the ground and grabbed onto Link's ankle with its icy cold grip. It sent a freezing shock up his leg causing it to kick back hard several times until his ankle was released. "Stalchildren!" He called out. His loud cry alerted Sieg and the merchants.

"Gio, get your men into the wagon and stay there!" Sieg ordered the merchant.

"Y-Yes of course." Gio and his men made a dash and jumped into their wagon.

"Protect the wagon and the horses."

They suddenly found themselves surrounded by dozens of Stalchildren who appeared one after another. Link and Sieg drew closer to the wagon as they kept their attention on the enemies in front of them. The horses shifted uncomfortably back and forth as the skeletons closed in on them. It was Sieg who delivered the first strike.

* * *

In a flash, Sieg slid forward and thrust his short blade through a Stalchild's ribcage and shattered its spine. It collapsed into a pile of bones as another Stalchild swung his bony arm at him. With his left reverse gripped short blade, he blocked the attack and then cut off its arm with his right blade. The Stalchild's other arm swung down on him, but this time, he just punched its head and knocked it away.

After two of their brethren had fallen, a large group of them converged on Sieg's position. "As if I'll allow you guys to trap me." He quickly moved to the left side where there weren't as many of them. Then, he leaped into the air and sliced off the nearest Stalchild's arms. Despite being armless, the Stalchild tried to head butt him, but he sliced it off with a swift cut to its neck.

* * *

While Sieg was mauling down the Stalchildren with little effort, Link was in the middle of his own fight with the skeletons. He pulled his sword back as the Stalchildren drew towards him from every side. Once they got within striking distance, he spun his body like a tornado and unleashed a blue shockwave that obliterated the Stalchildren. After this group had been dealt with, another large group moved their attention away from the wagon to Link.

"About six of them so how about this?" Link readied his golden blade and waited until the Stalchildren got within 10 feet of him. He leaped into the air and swung his blade down with all of his might. The strike had unleashed another powerful shockwave that shattered the Stalchildren into pieces. That last attack had left him a bit winded.

"I should start taking it easy now." He wiped the sweat on his forehead and blocked an arm swipe with his shield before proceeding to bash it with the steel shield.

The minutes flew by and the Stalchildren's number quickly dwindled until there was only one left. If the Stafchild was "alive", it would've probably succumbed to fear at seeing all of the others getting obliterated. However, this one kept on attacking without any disregard for whatever life it had.

Link slowly inched backwards to avoid the wild swings.

"Just finish it already!" Sieg called out.

Link clenched his teeth and knocked the Stalchild's arms away with a swing of his shield. While it was off balance, Link unleashed a three-slash combo that dislodged one of its arms, its upper body and finally, its head.

"That should be the last of them," Sieg said as he patted Link's shoulder. "Come on, let's head ba-."

"Wait, there's still something here," Link quickly interjected. The two kept silent and slowly moved their eyes across the trees and the bushes. Once their eyes fell on the large boulder near a fallen tree, a much larger skeleton leaped out from behind it and swung its large blade down at them.

Both Link and Sieg jumped out of the way to avoid the attack.

"A Stalfos…that's a rare sight," Sieg said in a low voice. "More dangerous than those Stalchildren, but we can take him together."

Link raised a palm up. "No, let me fight him."

A large grin formed on Sieg's face. "Okay, show me what you've got."

Link took a few steps forward and twirled his sword while eyeing the Stalfos that was slowly advancing towards him. It towered over him and stood over a foot taller than him. Unlike the Stalchildren, the Stalfos was equipped with armor that was similar to what the soldiers wore. Along with their sword and large build, the Stalfos' were known to be quite dangerous for any run of the mil soldier.

With his shield raised, Link matched the Stalfos' advancing pace. Before he even got within striking distance, the Stalfos swiftly swung his blade and made contact with Link's shield. Despite the successful block, Link could feel his body sliding a few inches backwards from the heavy attack. It raised its arm for another strike, but Link quickly moved closer and swung his blade first. The Stalfos smoothly transitioned into a defensive stance and blocked his attack. Undeterred, Link continued his assault, but the Stalfos was able to block the attacks each time with its shield.

" _Front attacks won't work so I need to change targets."_ Link swung his blade towards its exposed side, but in a flash, the shield came down again and blocked the attack.

" _Then the back."_ He ran around him while keeping his sight on the Stalfos. However, it turned his body around so that he was never able to reach its backside. Link clicked his tongue. _"It has a strong guard as expected."_

After thwarting Link's offensive efforts, the Stalfos suddenly swung its blade at Link's side. He was barely able to block the attack in time, but the strength behind the swing had knocked him off his feet.

"Link!" Sieg cried out as the Stalfos jumped into the air and slammed his blade down at Link.

With quick reflexes, Link rolled out of harm's way and got back to his feet.

"Scared me there for a second," Sieg said, blowing out a sigh of relief. "Do you want my help now?"

"I still have things under control," Link said as he felt adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The Stalfos gazed down at him with its piercing red eyes before advancing towards him once again.

" _I have to time this perfectly or else..."_

The skeleton warrior stopped its advance just right outside of Link's striking area. It raised its blade and watched him closely. They were stuck staring at each other for about ten seconds when Link felt a change in the wind.

" _Now!"_ Just as the blade came swinging down at him, he slid into a roll towards the Stalfos' side and in the same motion, jumped behind it and unleashed an aerial spinning slash. The powerful attack had knocked the Stalfos down headfirst to the ground. Before it could recover and turn around, Link unleashed a barrage of thrusts to its exposed spine. Each attack causing the bone to crack until it eventually broke apart. The Stalfos bellowed as if in pain before it collapsed completely to the ground.

Link blew out a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword and shield. The silence after the fight was broken by the sound of loud clapping behind him.

"That was a remarkable display of skill and strength," Gio remarked, his face full of awe. At some point, he had gotten out of the wagon and approached the battle site. "It was as if I was watching a seasoned warrior in battle."

"You scared me there for a moment, but yeah, not bad." Sieg nodded his head a few times while flashing a large grin. "We probably should take off now in case there's more of those wandering around."

"Good plan."

* * *

After another several hours of riding, Sieg pointed into the horizon where some hills bunched up together. "Great news, we're almost there."

"It's about time." Link craned his neck and look at his surroundings. It was an area of Hyrule Field that he never been to before. Even though they weren't in a forest, an abundance of trees grew all around them. Due to the moonlight, the trees casted long shadows all over the place. The hooting owls made the place even creepier.

From behind them, an identifiable sound entered Link's ears. "Do you hear that?" He whispered to Sieg.

"No. What do _you_ hear?"

Link closed his eyes and concentrated on the sound. It started off as a slow tapping sound then it turned into a rapid beating noise. "Sounds like horses. Do you think they're soldiers?"

"Something tells me that's not the case." Sieg drew his crossbow and inserted an arrow. "Brace yourself, Link. We're going to be attacked by bandits."

"Bandits?!" An arrow flew past him before it struck a tree.

"You better speed up!" Sieg called out to Gio.

The beating sound had become louder and clearer now. From behind them appeared a dozen of men in dark tunics and pants. They had swords strapped onto their backs and carried either crossbows or bows. They were still more than 100 feet from them, but they were already raining dozens of arrows onto the P.S.G. guards. The widespread attack mostly fell into bushes and trees, but some had struck the wagon. A few would've even pierced Epona if not for Link deflecting them with his sword and blocking with his shield.

"It's time we launch our counterattack," Sieg declared. "Let's fall down so that Gio can create some more distance."

Link nodded and took out his bow. The two P.S.G. members spread out in different directions to avoid the barrage of arrows while decreasing their speed. They disappeared into the trees until about a minute later when the bandits rode up into their sights, directly across from them. That was the signal for their counterattack.

Some bandits cried out in pain as Link and Sieg fired arrows from the shadows. Their formation was broken and so the bandits began to scatter in multiple directions. Link pulled back an arrow and then launched it right into the shoulder of the nearest bandit. The piercing arrow made the bandit lose his balance and fall off his horse. _"One down,"_ Link thought as his eyes quickly searched for his next target. After a few rounds of their counterattack, the bandits finally located the attacking guards.

The remaining bandits formed three groups of three. Two of them turned their attention to Link and Sieg while the third one raced after the wagon.

" _I have to hurry."_ Link quickly chased after the third group and readied an arrow. He didn't have the luxury to take as much time as he wanted for aiming so he quickly let one loose. Fortunately, it pierced the closest one in the leg and knocked him off his horse.

An arrow flew by him had reminded that he was getting chased as well.

"Keep firing," Sieg said, appearing next to Link. "I'll cover our backs."

"I'll leave it to you then." Link increased Epona's speed and he eventually caught sight of the other two. They were already closing in on the wagon. _"They're only about 50 feet away, but…"_ The two bandits weaved left and right making it difficult to mark them. He exhaled deeply before sucking in a lot of air and focusing his sight. When he saw them reached the wagon's horses and readied their bows, his heart quickened. _"It's now or never."_ He fired an arrow that landed squarely into one of the bandit's arm. Like the others before him, the bandit fell off his horse. But the third bandit had already fired off an arrow at the merchant's horse.

It felt like Link's heart had frozen when he saw the arrow flying, but to his relief, the bandit was a poor shot and narrowly missed its targets. Quickly, Link drew another arrow and this time, fired without much delay. The arrow went right into the man's leg and taking him out of the chase.

"Okay, now for the rest." Link looked over his shoulder and saw that about five bandits remained and they had surrounded Sieg, their swords drawn and opting for close range combat.

Sieg blocked a sword slash with his blade from the left and then blocked another from his right. A large amount of sweat was dripping down his forehead. He let a loud roar and pushed the two bandits back. His horse moved towards the right and closed the gap with the bandit on that side. Before the bandit could do anything, he was stabbed in the neck by the short sword. Blood squirt out from the wound like a small geyser.

While slowing his speed down to get back with Sieg, Link drew another arrow and fired a shot at a bandit that was quietly coming up from behind the unsuspected young man. By now, Link had fallen back and was now side to side with Sieg. There were only three bandits left and they were rapidly closing the gap from behind them. With the speed they were moving, they were on a head on collision with the guards. As expected, the five riders eventually collided and all of them fell down to the ground with a heavy thud.

A dull pain ran through Link's side as he got back onto his feet. Sieg had done the same and was already crossing blades with two of the bandits. Link took a step towards them, but a thick arm came from behind him and tossed him into a hard tree.

"And where do you think you're going, boy?" The large bandit laughed and exposed several missing teeth in his mouth. "You and that other kid had given us enough trouble for one night. We'll make you regret crossing paths with us." He swung his blade down at Link, but only managed to send a few pieces of bark flying.

Link ducked under the sword attack and made a flying kick to the man's abdomen. The massive amount of blubber had bounced Link's foot off before he fell to the ground. The futile attack made the bandit break out in laughter.

"You're too puny to hurt me with your scrawny arms and legs. Why don't you draw your sword instead?"

Link grimaced, but didn't immediately draw his blade.

"Now that I got a better look at it, you're carrying some shiny things. I could turn those into a lot of rupees." The bandit attacked again and Link evaded to the side.

After drawing his sword and shield, Link's eyes fell onto the man's blade. Due to his narrow focus, he was barely able to evade the incoming sword attack. He grimaced in pain as a cut appeared on his upper arm.

Link dodged the next attack and swung his blade towards the man's blade. Before he made contact, the man pulled the sword away and kicked Link to the ground.

"You're making it too obvious on what you're aiming for," the bandit smirked.

When the next sword attack came down on Link, he blocked it with his shield, but the bandit continued to apply pressure on him with his large weight. As Link felt his legs sinking down to the ground, he broke the lock and rolled through the bandit's legs. Despite the many advantages of the bandit's size, he found it difficult to turn around fast enough to avoid the two quick deep cuts to his legs.

The bandit screamed out in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"You're finish here too, huh," Sieg said after he appeared next to Link's side. He frowned as he took a look at Link's face. "You can't think of just disarming people. And you can't just aim for arms and legs with your arrows. As good as you are, you're not going to last long in a war with that kind of resolve."

Link clenched his teeth and gazed at the blood flowing down his sword. The sight of it made him uncomfortable. He clutched his wounded arm and didn't offer any rebuttal.

The older P.S.G. member's face softened and then tapped Link on the back. "Let's tie these guys up. We'll escort them to the jail at Saelan."

"Yeah, okay," Link quietly said before he helped Sieg moved the incapacitated bandits into a pile. He watched over them while Sieg rode ahead to Gio's location for some rope. Fortunate for them, the merchant had made the smart decision to stop his advance once the bandits got off their trail so he wasn't too far ahead when Sieg found him.

* * *

Just as Sieg had said, they were already close to Saelan when the bandits attacked. After another hour of riding, they reached the large gates of Saelan. On each side of the gate, were two guard towers that reached up seemingly high into the sky.

"Looks like you guys had a rough trip," a soldier noted when he saw the tied-up bandits.

"You can say that again," Sieg said with a hint of fatigue in his voice.

"We'll take care it from here so enjoy your stay."

"There's a few more nearby with arrows in their arms and legs. You should send some people to find them if they're still in the area."

"Thanks for the information."

As Link watched the soldiers dragged the bandits through the gates, Gio's wagon moved up to them. "Thanks for everything," the merchant said. "It's been a while since we went through something as dangerous as that. I'll be sure to let Captain Brianos know about your courageous actions tonight." After telling them his final words, the wagon rode through the gates leaving only the P.S.G. members remaining.

"Let's find an inn and get some sleep," Sieg suggested.

"That sounds great," Link replied with a yawn.

They proceeded through the gates and then started crossing over a bridge that connected the outer gates and the inner town. Since it was in the middle of the night, they didn't run into many people. All of the shops were closed and the lights were off in the homes that were built on top of the shops. It was like a cross between Celdic's marketplace and its business district.

"It doesn't seem so bad," Link said.

"Not in this area," Sieg replied. "I'll show you where the town was hit the hardest during the war." He steered his horse onto the left path. Their surroundings eventually turned into a dark narrow alleyway. They rode down another path on the left once they hit a fork in the road. A steel gate blocked them from advancing further. "Hold on for a bit." He jumped off his horse and grabbed onto a doorknob near the center. The rickety gate screeched opened before they continued into another dark passageway. The eerie path made it seemed like something would jump out of the shadows and attack them.

At the end of the passageway was a ledge that overlooked an enormous area that was about the size of the entire town of Celdic. From his vantage point, Link could see that it once looked like a town with many districts. However, it was now full of ruins, broken down homes, shops and buildings. No lantern or light could be found within the area other than the moonlight that shone from above. It was similar to the forest temple and ancient ruins that he'd seen on his journey. But this place wasn't supposed to be nearly as old.

"The civil war happened," Sieg said, answering the question that was on Link's mind. He continued down a sloping path that leads further into this decrypted area. Portions of their path were blocked by rubble so they have to maneuver around while also avoiding some potholes. "This was once the main area of Saelan, but as you can see, it has been abandoned. Now it's referred to the sealed Old District."

"Does anybody live here?"

"Nobody in their right mind would stay here. There are even some monsters that roam around."

The temperature dropped significantly once a cloud of mist swept in and covered much of their surroundings. Other than the crunching sound under their horses' hooves, it was deathly quiet.

"How did this place change so much?" Link asked as he noticed bones lying on the ground and charred remains of what appeared to have been humans.

Sieg blew out a heavy breath. "Picture this. Countless people running down the streets and screaming for their lives as a large number of armed people broke down the front gates. Those unfortunate ones that couldn't get away were gutted, decapitated and slaughtered. The soldiers that were meant to protect the townspeople were significantly outnumbered and overwhelmed."

They came to a stop as a black building came into sight. Dark ashes stained its walls and doors. A toxic odor emanated from the building.

Sieg covered his nose with his hand. "A fire was ignited that spread throughout the entire town and burned everything in its path. Even trapping some in their homes that they thought would protect them. Despite all of that, it still wasn't enough. Explosives and bombs were set off, blowing the buildings, homes and shops into the rubble you've seen."

"They went too far," Link said in a low voice.

"Apparently, they weren't always this extreme, but in the last days of the war, the tide was turning and the Remar people were becoming mentally unstable. You were either on their side or against them. There's no middle ground and they made it clear what happens when you're on the other side."

Link balled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth. A surge of anger ran through his body and it took most of his willpower to keep from punching something.

Sieg narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back to the street. "Let's move on."

After a few minutes, they found themselves in front of a grand home behind a broken gate. The home made of stone was like a small castle with several rooms and buildings attached to it. Next to broken pillars were collapsed floors and rooms. Just beyond the gate was a large fountain that was empty of water, just carcasses of animals remained within. High above the home around the fourth floor, there was the Hylian crest etched into its stone wall.

"What is this place?" Link asked as his eyes took in every last detail of the once magnificent structure.

"There were a few of them here, but Saelan was home to two prominent Hylian knight families," Sieg explained in a deep and low voice. "This place was once the home to the knight family, Garland."

"Where are those knights now?" Link didn't think there was going to be a happy ending, but he had to know.

Sieg looked up at the Hylian crest and remained silent for a few seconds. "One of the families is no more. As for the other one, there's a survivor."

Link brightened at the mention of a survivor, but Sieg didn't seem all too happy about it.

"But the family line is going to end with him. Just like everything else in this district, this house was abandoned and forgotten."

"The townspeople should've stayed and rebuild instead of leaving."

"It's difficult moving on and forgetting about sad tragic memories," Sieg lamented. "Even if the scenery changes, so long as they remain in the same place, they'll just keep on remembering. That's why they abandoned and sealed this place. Well, this way of thought isn't widespread throughout Hyrule. People do try to repair and rebuild."

The ruined town and the fallen knight families had given Link a lot to think about, but before he could ask anything else, Sieg said, "It's dangerous to stay here for too long. Let's head back to the inn."

After taking one long look at the knight's home, Link followed after Sieg.

* * *

Later that night, Link had a dream, one that he had a few times throughout his life. As always, he was held tightly in the arms of a woman. The warmth from her body eased his frightened mind as she frantically ran. As much as he tried, he couldn't tell from what or who she was running away.

* * *

Since then, a month had gone by. Despite the short period of time, a lot had happened to Link and his Kokiri friends. Saria, Elott and Fado had completely eased themselves into the outside world. Link had already completed several missions for the P.S.G. The four children had become quite well known among the Celdic community and life was going great for them.

One day, Elott raised the idea of sending letters to the others in Kokiri Forest. They didn't have much difficulty in convincing the post office to add the forest to their routes once a month. So long as they paid a monthly fixed fee due to the obscure location, Link and the others could open a communication line with the Kokiri in the forest.

Link was now heading back from the forest after convincing Mido to set up a mailbox just right outside the forest and inform the others about their plan. It was late in the afternoon when he arrived at Elemia Hill. Just as he was turning up the hill, he heard somebody singing a favorite song of his. _"Wait, I never heard anybody singing this before."_ He hurried up the hill as the song got louder and clearer. Once he reached his home, he found that the song was coming from Malon. She was standing next to the porch where Saria, Elott and Fado were sitting on.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked after getting off Epona.

"Don't you remember that I said we make deliveries to Celdic once a month?" She asked.

He scratched his cheek. "You did say something about that."

"Delan's Deli is one of our customers and I ran into Fado here." She gestured towards the blond Kokiri who made a wide grin. "I noticed that she had a fairy and so I asked her about you and Saria."

"Then I brought her here," Fado continued. "Link, you never mentioned you knew such a cute red haired girl." She shot him a mischievous smile.

"They all hit it off pretty quickly once she arrived," Elott said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Malon flashed her bright smile at them. "I only expected to meet Saria here, but to meet Fado and Elott as well had been great. I should get dad to come here more often."

Saria chuckled and raised her ocarina. "And she even taught me a few songs."

Link's eyes grew large. "Now that you mention it, I was surprised to hear Malon singing your song."

"It's called give and take," Malon said, rubbing her thumb and finger together. "We exchange melodies so that I can sing them and she can play them on her ocarina. I particularly liked Saria's song."

"I like Epona's song too," Saria added.

Fado suddenly jumped onto her feet. "Now that Epona's back, you can show us how to groom her."

As the three girls crowded around Epona, Elott walked up to Link. "So how did it go with _that_?"

Link flashed him a thumbs up. "Mido's okay with it so I think we're all set."

"That's great." Elott nodded with satisfaction. "We probably won't get many chances to visit them so at least with letters, we can still stay connected."

* * *

As the sun began its descent, Malon and the others at Elemia Hill gathered at the far end of the hill that overlooked Celdic. Several wooden benches were placed there which made it a great place to enjoy the scenery. At some point, an impromptu concert broke out with Malon on vocals and Saria and Link on their ocarinas. It was then that Elott revealed his hidden trumpet skills and joined in on the fun.

The carpenters and Mutoh that had done a great job on their home so far, stopped their work and dropped by for the small music show. The wind carried the beautiful melodies created from Malon's soothing voice and the instruments so that it reached the ears of those near Celdic. Joining the carpenters were the passersby who became enraptured by the songs. The crowd continued to grow until there were more than twenty people in the audience. Since then, talks about the music show on Elemia Hill would spread to Celdic and become a topic of interest for its people.

* * *

Up high in a castle tower room, a young girl gazed out the window at small colorful shapes moving about. Even if she couldn't see them clearly, she knew that the shapes were children playing in a park next to the castle town. Every time she watched them, her heart grew heavy.

There was a knock on her door before Impa walked through it.

"How are they doing?" Zelda asked, keeping her attention on the children outside.

"In just a month, they established themselves well into the Celdic community," Impa replied. "The Kokiri children are busy at work while young Link is steadily growing stronger from his P.S.G. duties. Their home is almost complete and they appear…quite happy."

"Then I'm glad for them."

"Will you be paying them a visit?"

The princess shook her head. "It's not worth mobilizing the Royal Guard for it. Maybe some time later, but now, I'll be returning to my studies."

Impa frowned at her response, but said nothing about it. "Then I'll take my leave." She bowed and then quietly left the spacious room.

Zelda sat down at her desk that was situated next to her bed. It was piled with several thick books. Most of them worn from overuse. As she reached for the red economics book, the back of her right hand caught her attention. _"Still nothing. Am I not worthy anymore? What did I do wrong?"_ Link told her that she was to be the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, but never in her life had the mark appeared on her hand.

After gazing at her hand for a long minute, she shook away her concerns and opened the book. _"It will come, I'm sure of it."_

* * *

Link and the Kokiri children had been living in Celdic for about six months now. It was about time that calling the town their home now had felt right. Most in Celdic knew about them along with those that lived in the outskirts. Life was busy every day for them, but fulfilling at the same time.

Malon continued her monthly visits, sometimes visiting them more than once a month. Every time she was there, the children held a musical performance that brought great delight to the townspeople and further improve their reputation and popularity.

The work on their home had been completed. As requested by the children, the small log cabin had been greatly expanded. The house itself consisted of two connected structures that together formed an 'L' shape. The longer end had the hallway to each of the four children's rooms. The shorter end had the washroom, kitchen and a small dining room. While not inside, next to these set of rooms were the stables, barn, animal pen and the garden.

Epona was no longer the lone animal resident of Elemia Hill. Link bought a cow and a few cuccos from Talon so they have convenient access to milk and eggs.

Their garden was also full of life. The Deku Fruit seeds that Saria planted had sprouted and were hanging on the tall vines, ready to be picked. They also planted strawberry seeds recently and were considering planting an apple tree nearby.

The once log cabin room had been renovated into the large community room which connected both of the main areas of the home. The décor remained simple with mostly just a red wool rug placed in the center. Two couches sat on two of the rug's side. The flower vases in each corner of the room had made it felt more cheery and warm. Probably what stood out the most was the brick fireplace that was lit almost every evening. This night was no exception as the house's residents huddled around it for warmth. The weather had been cold for a week now.

While the others were busy engaging in a discussion about the new instrument shop that opened nearby, Link peered into the fireplace, his mind getting lost in its flames. Ever since getting back from his mission to Saelan with Sieg, he had been thinking about the civil war and Hyrule's past. It only took a few seconds of looking at the swaying flames in the fireplace to remind him of Saelan's fate.

"Link, is there something on your mind?"

He snapped back to reality and turned around to see Saria looking at him with a face full of concern.

"Did you say something?" Link asked, looking confused.

Elott and Fado had stopped their conversation and were now looking at him, wondering what was going on.

 _"Ah, I guess I looked distracted,"_ Link thought. "I was just thinking about something."

"An upcoming mission?" Fado guessed.

"No, not that." Link shook his head and then turned his attention to Elott. "The library has books on history, right? Did you read anything about the civil war?"

Elott crossed his arms. "Actually, it's one of the topics I've been looking into. It seemed like an important event in Hyrule's history so it's good to know."

"I heard about the war too, but I don't really much about it," Fado said, slightly tilting her head.

Link blew out a heavy sigh. "I've been thinking about it lately too."

"Anything about it in particular?" Elott inquired.

"Well, do you happen to know why the Gorons and Zoras fought in the war? I've met them before and I just can't imagine them doing it."

"History is full of complex points."

Confused eyes fell on the orange haired Kokiri.

Elott cleared his throat. "What I mean is that history is usually never so simple. They were apparently not on good terms with the humans even before the war started. As far as when they became active participants, it's been difficult for me to find that out. The books in the library don't really explain it."

"That's unfortunate." Link looked down and frowned.

"Well, it's _not_ like I know nothing," Elott clarified, his voice steadily rising. "I was curious about it so I contacted some librarians around Hyrule via letters. From what I've learned, the information was purposely excluded from the books."

"Why would people do that?" Saria asked, knitting her eyebrows.

"So people wouldn't learn about some of the terrible things their own people had done."

"Like what kind of things?"

Elott scratched the back of his head. "I don't know for sure, but word is, some of Hyrule's nobility had played large roles in the war. The Gorons entered the war after the nobility sent soldiers to Death Mountain and slaughtered some of the Gorons."

"Wait, what?!" Link's eyes grew wide with shock.

Elott nodded, his lips curved into a grim frown. "Death Mountain is home to the special Zelestan ore. Not to mention that the bomb flowers only grew there. The nobility wanted to monopolize the weapons that could be made from them. Can you blame the Gorons from fighting and killing humans afterwards?"

"They slaughtered the Gorons _just_ for that?" Fado's face grimaced in disgust.

"And, what about the Zoras?" Link asked, trying to keep his temper under control.

"Basically the same reason," Elott replied with a sigh. "The entire source of water in Hyrule comes from Zora's Domain. You can guess what happens with that."

Link clenched his fists while Saria and Fado cast their eyes down. The room grew heavy with anger and as if manifesting that anger, the flames on the firewood loudly cracked and snapped.

"At least that's all in the past now," Elott said, trying to raise their spirits.

Link grunted and folded his arms. "Maybe not," he murmured.

"…Right, something was going to happen, wasn't it?"

Fado opened her mouth wide and pointed a finger at Link. "That's right! The princess and several others visited Link a few months ago. With everything going on, I completely forgot about it. You're still not going to fight in _that_ coming war, right?"

Link frowned and slowly shook his head. "I will and I'm planning to enlist in the army in the future."

"But why?" Fado got onto her feet. "You're just one person. Why do _you_ need to fight? Just because you have some experience fighting? Everything's been going great here so why can't you just stay here?" When Link failed to say anything in response, she turned her attention to Saria. "Are you okay with this?"

"If that is what Link wants to do then…" Saria trailed off and turned her head away so that she was facing the corner.

"Even Saria too?" Fado turned into complete shock as she fell into her seat, her face on the verge of tears. "What's wrong with everyone?"

Elott's gaze fell on one person to the next. He sighed and got onto his feet. "I think we should take a break and cool down."

"Yeah," Link murmured and then left the suffocating room, outside to the front porch. He blew out a heavy sigh and looked up at the glittering stars. Even though it was just a small crack, his resolve to fight Ganondorf and his army was wavering. He felt at peace with his life in Celdic so the thought of leaving it was unpleasant. As he was mulling over his thoughts, he felt a presence behind him. "What are your real thoughts?" He felt a tug on his sleeve. Such a strong grip had surprisingly come from a small hand.

"I don't like it," Saria whispered from his back.

Link sucked air into his lungs and grunted his understanding. "That's what I thought."

"We were supposed to have a brand-new life, but it'll become meaningless if I lose you."

Link's back trembled slightly, but he remained silent.

"…You're still going either way, right?"

He nodded his head. "I have to do this. I think I'll regret it if I did nothing." A warm breath blew against his neck.

"I knew I couldn't change your mind. Just promise me that you'll be careful…and don't die."

Link released himself from her grasp and turned around so that they were face to face, only a few inches separated them. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." He pinched her nose and grinned. "Your nose will fall off if you worry too much."

"Where in Hyrule did you hear something so crazy?" She reached out and squeezed his cheeks. "Just because I grew up in an isolated forest doesn't mean I'll fall for your trickery."

"Wait, I grew up in the forest too!" Link released her nose and tried to pinch her cheeks, but she quickly pulled away, grinning from ear to ear.

A game of cat and mouse broke out with Link chasing after Saria all around their yard. They didn't know what the point of it was or why they were even doing it, but that was more enjoyable than mulling over the unforeseeable future, no matter how painful it may be.

"You'll have to be faster than that to catch me young Hero," she mocked in a deep old man's voice as she circled around a tree.

"Oh, you're going to regret saying that." Link made a sharp turn and cut her off at the other side of the tree. Before she appeared around the corner, he threw his body forward.

She noticed his flying body and tried to get out of the way. Little did she realize, a rock was lying near her feet. As she turned her body, she tripped over the rock and lost her balance.

Link couldn't stop in time and collided into her, their bodies collapsing onto the ground. His head was spinning for a few seconds, but once it got back to focus, he noticed that he was lying on top of her. His face was so close that he could see himself reflected in her clear blue eyes which sparkled like the stars in the sky. "Sorry about that."

She shook her head while maintaining her smile. "We'll be adults someday, but for now, we're still children, right? It doesn't hurt to get away from the serious stuff and just have fun every once in a while."

"You're right." Link got onto his feet and pulled her up. "It's not like I'm leaving anytime soon. There's still a lot of other fun things to do in the meantime."

"And don't worry about the things that's already happened in the past." She placed her hands on her hips and showed him a stern face.

"Okay, I got it." He chuckled and then flashed his teeth. "Thanks for the pep talk. It really helped take my mind off of things."

"You're welcome."

Link gestured with his thumb towards the direction of the front door. "Now how about heading back in and cheering up Fado?"

"I'm all for it." She took a few steps towards the door. "I've been thinking of baking a Deku Fruit pie so right now is as good as any to make one."

"She'll definitely cheer up after eating that." He suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Wait, you're not going to give the entire pie to her, right? What about me?"

Saria looked away and furrowed her eyebrows. "I guess I could give you half a slice." Before Link could react, she quickly dashed through the door.

"Just half? Couldn't you at least give me a whole slice?" He hurried after her with urgency in his steps. "Saria?!"

* * *

**Three Years Later**

The courtyard in Hyrule Castle was rarely opened to the public. When it was, it was usually because the King was making an important speech or proclamation. On other occasions such as the one today, the King will be providing a welcoming speech to new enlistees in the army.

High walls surrounded much of the courtyard. It offered a sense of strong protection and it was a beautiful place. The grass, trees and even bushes were neatly trimmed. The flowers were all colorful and full of life. The area's centerpiece though was no doubt the grand fountain that faced the main castle. It consisted of three separate levels for the streaming water to flow down from the fountain head. For the citizens that didn't care much for the King's speech, they came anyway just to witness the majestic stream of water.

Standing in ten straight rows just behind the fountain, were about 500 new soldiers who just joined. All of them wore matching steel helmets, breastplates over chain mails, armguards and silver greaves. However, the two standing at the far end corner in the back disregarded the notion of uniformity.

The one on the left wore chain mail under his green tunic. Instead of greaves or armguards, he opted for brown boots and gloves respectively. His legs were covered by gray breeches. The young man clicked his tongue and wrapped his arms around his helmet. After several motions, he removed the helmet and tossed it to the ground, revealing blond hair that had been flattened by the helmet. A captain in silver plate armor standing nearby shot him a displeased look. Ignoring the captain, the young man pulled out a long green floppy hat from seemingly out of nowhere and placed it firmly on his head. "Now that's better."

"I don't know, I think that hat of yours makes you look goofy," said the older youth standing next to him.

"Doesn't seem like you care for these helmets either…or their armor." Link eyed the older youth's clothes which lacked the breastplate, greaves and helmet. He did leave on the armguards for some reason. Other than the red headband tied around his forehead, he wore his usual clothes that he worn as a P.S.G. member.

"I can't fight with those heavy things on. The helmet is also a no-go since it'll ruin my nice beautiful hair." He ran a hand through his slicked black hair.

"About that, word on the street is that people think your hair looks like wet cucco feathers." Link ignored the shocked Sieg and asked, "Why did you join anyway? I thought you didn't care about the army."

Sieg shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Just seemed interesting once you brought it up. I guess I need a change in my life. P.S.G. work was getting stale."

Link blew out a sigh. "I shouldn't have expected a serious answer from you."

"Hey, does it seem like I'm joking? I'm…Oh, they're here." Sieg's complaint was abruptly cut off when several people appeared on the large balcony a few stories up on the castle.

A few armored individuals came out first. They wore similar armor as the soldiers, but were decorated with the Hylian crest and golden markings on their breastplates. They stood tall and proud as they separated and made way for three new appearances.

I haven't seen the princess in ages," Sieg said. "She looks great now that she's grown up." He grinned and nodded his head in approval.

Princess Zelda was standing on the right side. She wore a white and pink gown and white gloves with matching white heels. She was adorned with many accessories such as a golden necklace, a tiara and earrings. Her long silky blond hair reached down to just above her waist. Contrary to some in the audience who became ecstatic upon seeing her, she remained emotionless as her eyes hovered over the crowd. If she noticed Link's presence, she didn't show it at all.

Next to her on the left was a tall blue eyed man in his very late thirties. His short blond hair, beard and mustache were neatly trimmed. He wore a simple red and white coat over a blue undershirt and silver breeches. Like Zelda, he too was adorned with a few accessories such as several golden rings, a crown and jewelries that were embroidered in his clothes. The man made a wide smile as he waved his hands at his people.

_"I see that the King is still popular with the ladies."_

To the King's left was another man of similar age. His short blond hair, beard and mustache were unkempt and unlike the King, the man's expression mirrored the one on Princess Zelda's face. He was garbed in bluish silver breastplate with matching gauntlets and greaves. He also had the Hylian crest on his breastplate along with the golden markings that the Royal Guard had. Around his neck was a crimson red cloak that fluttered in the wind. A red scar ran across his cheek which added to his imposing figure.

"Do you know who that is?" Link asked.

"Who?" Sieg removed his eyes from Zelda for a moment and noticed the armored man. "That's the general, second in command of the army after the King. You should know this."

"So that's the general," Link murmured as the King step forward.

"Welcome all. We're here today to welcome our brave new enlistees. On behalf of me, my daughter and General Garland, we thank you for your service."

 _"Garland? That name sounds familiar."_ Link crossed his arms and reached into the depths of his mind. A few seconds ticked by until a light turned on. With wide opened eyes, he turned to Sieg. "Hey, it's the same name as the one from the knight family, right?"

His friend ignored him as if he didn't hear the question and just continued looking up at the balcony.

"Even in these times of peace, it takes great courage to become part of the army," the King continued. "These are great moments, but no peace lasts forever. Once that time comes, be ready to pick up your weapons and protect our proud kingdom, its people, your family and friends. Together, we can make sure that there is a brighter future for our children and for their children." He paused for a moment as his eyes swept the crowd. "To the future of Hyrule!" He exclaimed in a thunderous roar.

The crowd grew loud as they chanted, "To Hyrule." The King's speech had connected with those in attendance and stirred their very soul. The soldiers' morale increased along with their determination.

 _"We'll soon be ready for you, Ganondorf,"_ Link thought as he steeled his resolve. It was going to take a little more time, but he felt his body had gotten stronger and bigger over the years so at least he stood a chance against the Gerudo King. After being infused with high hopes, the crowd began to die down and dispersed. Before he left with them, his eyes lingered on the general's face for a long moment.


	5. Drifting Apart

**A/N: Shout out to the people who left comments on Chapter 4 (and those that left kudos). Not sure if you're all the same person or not, but your comments partially motivated me to finish the chapter. Even though it's well past the time estimate I gave. I really thought I was going to get it out sooner, but well, at least it's out now. Hope you guys enjoy it. Feel free to leave any comments since it's enjoyable to hear people's thoughts on the story. Especially since it appears to be one of my least popular works so far with only a small amount of views.**

* * *

**CHAPTER V** **: DRIFTING APART**

Within the soldiers' barracks in Kakariko Village, only one individual remained asleep on a hammock made of rope. The young man in his green tunic rested with an arm hanging out. It swayed slightly from side to side in rhythm with the moving hammock. Unbeknownst to the young man, two other men stood in front of him, watching his relaxed carefree face.

The younger of the two stifled a laugh as he knelt down slightly and placed his head near the sleeping man's ear. "Liinnnkkkk…" He gently whispered. After noticing no response, he looked up at the older man and then nodded his head. He took a deep breath and then shouted, "Link!"

The sleeping young man's eyes shot wide opened as the hammock flipped over and dropped his body onto the ground. "What did you do that for?" Link tended to the throbbing pain on the back of his head and looked up at the people who ruined his sleep.

"I told you that I'd get back at you one day," Sieg gloated, grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you talking about?" Link shakily got onto his feet and glared at his friend, ready to throw a punch if not for the other person in the room.

The short older man loudly cleared his throat which promptly got the two soldiers' attention. "Don't you think it's disrespectful to ignore your captain here? Hmmm?"

"Uh, sorry, sir." Link saluted the captain, but it only seemed to have made him angrier as if it struck a nerve. "Why are you here?"

The captain grinded his teeth and rapidly tapped his foott against the wooden floorboards. "You're supposed to be on cleanup duty so why are you taking a nap?"

Link held his salute and looked into the distant, his mouth slightly agaped. "I'm sorry. I was just tired so I thought I'd take a quick a nap."

"Oh, did you now? Well, wake up and get back to cleaning!" The captain headed towards the doorway, complaining and muttering as he left the barracks. "Why do I get all of the troublemakers? I should just…"

"You really pissed off Captain Vernon this time," Sieg said, highly amused with the event. "Still staying up all night?"

Link blew out a sigh and grabbed onto a mop. "Yeah."

"It's great that you're doing all of that, but your body needs rest."

"Instead of your repeated lectures, how about helping out?" He jabbed Sieg in the side with the mop.

"Nah, I'm good." Sieg flashed him a smile and quickly departed.

Link heaved out another heavy sigh and dunked the mop into the bucket. _"Just think of this as training."_

* * *

It had been six months since Link and Sieg enlisted in the army. Five of those months were spent training at Hyrule castle. It was mostly body training along that included running some drills and formations. Mundane is what Sieg called it. Link didn't disagree. At least he made good use of it by building up his stamina and muscles. That desire to get stronger was strangely lacking from many of the other soldiers, both recent enlistees and the senior members.

Once he got used to the training, Link and Sieg were suddenly shipped out and placed into the Eastern's Division 5th Company stationed at Kakariko Village. The new enlistees that shipped with them were mostly youngsters that were hardly adults. It had been more mundane ever since. Other than his cleanup duties, the 15th Unit was pretty lax on their duties. There wasn't much to do other than patrol out in Hyrule field or within the village. There were even some minor tasks such as finding lost cats and helping the cucco lady secure the cucco pen. With everything that's happened so far in the village, he wondered if being stationed here was a good use of his time.

 _"Relaxing at Celdic sounds like a good idea about now,"_ Link thought as he finished his cleaning and put the mop away.

"You're done already?" A guard was sitting on a stool just outside the door when Link left the barracks. He was part of the young crop of enlistees that were shipped together.

"Yeah, just finished. Where's the captain and Sieg?"

"Captain's probably over at the bar getting wasted. You know how it is when he's pissed. And for Sieg…don't know actually."

"Figures." Link took a few steps deeper into the village when a cat suddenly ran out from the shadows and into his path. He avoided the cat, but not the children that came chasing after it.

"Watch where you're going, Link!" The children scowled at him before running off to find the cat.

"This just isn't my day." Link blew out a heavy sigh and continued walking down the path. On his way, he crossed the newly opened Shooting Gallery. Based on the audible chatter inside, it sounded like business was doing well. Kakariko was light on entertainment so it didn't really surprise him. What did surprise him was the paper note that was attached next to the door. It expressly said, "Link is no longer allowed here." Thinking about it brought an amused smile to his face.

When he was first transferred to the village, he spent some of his free time at the shooting range to improve his archery skills. Since then, he never lost a game and gained a substantial number of rupees. The owner grew concerned about his business' future so he banned Link from participating any further. It disappointed him that he's no longer allowed in the shooting gallery anymore, but at least it meant that his skills were good enough to not need it.

Continuing pass the building, he approached another recent business in the village. Through the window, he could see many instruments displayed on the walls. He opened the door and the chiming bell above announced his presence.

"Welcome to Marco's House of Music where…Oh, it's just you." Behind the counter was a long black-haired man who was full of smiles until he saw Link was his customer. He wiped his hands on his brown apron before removing his glasses and placed them on the counter.

"You don't look like you're happy to see me." Link flashed him a wry smile. "How's business doing?"

"Can't you tell by looking at my face?" Marco scowled and looked out the window. "I was a hoping a new customer would walk through the door, but not a useless window shopper."

Link made a show of wincing in pain. "Ouch, don't you know that words can hurt?"

"Having no money hurts too." The shopkeeper heaved out a heavy sigh and continuing staring out the window with a melancholy look on his face. "Maybe I shouldn't have left my business in Celdic and tried to open another one here. Kakariko people don't seem to care much about music."

"Just give it time, I'm sure they'll come around. But how's the main business doing?"

"Carla said business is slowing down, but it's not too bad. Although, I wouldn't have anything to worry about if _somebody_ didn't up and leave the town which also said goodbye to the music shows." He shot an accusing eye at Link who merely laughed it off.

"Shows are still being put on even without us."

"Yeah, but not the ones you kids put on. Those were special."

A pang of nostalgia struck Link in his chest. He looked into the distant and recalled those fun times when they just enjoyed the moment.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad," Marco said after Link had gotten quiet. He pulled out a rectangular piece of wood and a knife. "How about some more practice?"

"No, I think I learned enough already. It's about time I get going too."

"Suit yourself," Marco said, placing the piece of wood on the back table. "If you find anybody who has an interest in music or instruments, send them here."

Link waved goodbye and left the store. Afterwards, he made his way up the slope to the higher levels in the village. Once he reached the ledge with a steel fence in place, he leaned over it and surveyed the village scenery from above. Other than the energetic children, the adults moved at a slow pace as if they didn't have a concern in the world. There was no urgency in their gait as they went on with their daily lives.

His eyes fell onto the slow rotating windmill at the far end of the village. Its soothing movements were dragging him back to sleep after several rotations.

Sieg arrived from out of sight and leaned over the railing. "See anything interesting?"

"Just a fat cat that looked like the captain. But since you're here, how about a sparring session?"

Sieg shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not? Where at? We're not going to that dark underground place again, just so you know."

"You're really scared of that place?" Link raised an eyebrow as an amused smile appeared on his face. "Strange to see you so wimpy."

"You don't think so?! That place is freaking creepy!" Sieg wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

"I guess the cemetery is also a no-go then?"

Sieg narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Do you even need to ask?"

* * *

The two soldiers left the village and wandered through Hyrule field until they reached a secluded area surrounded by high rocks. It was almost like being in a cave without the ceiling.

Sieg had brought his usual pair of short swords that were sheathed on his belt. Other than his armguards, he carried and wore no other protection over his thin clothes. "So what's this? Duel number 534?"

Link drew his gilded sword and shield. "I lost count a long time ago. But enough about that, let's begin."

"Impatience, are we?" Sieg drew his short blades and twirled them with his fingers. "You're in that much of a hurry to lose?"

Link smirked, dashed forward and then bridged the gap in a moment. He swung his blade at the other soldier.

"Have you gotten faster?" Sieg asked after he evaded to the side and countered with a swipe towards Link's torso.

"Maybe you're just getting slower." Link blocked the attack and swiftly rolled to Sieg's side and towards his back. Before he could launch an attack, Sieg backflipped over Link's head and landed right behind him. "You're not the only one who can jump." Link backflipped over Sieg right after and swung his blade while in the air.

The aerial attack forced Sieg to crouch down to avoid the attack and then followed up with a leg sweep.

"Crap!" Link lost his balance and fell onto his back as Sieg continued his attack by thrusting his blade down to Link's face. In one motion, Link rolled to the side and executed a jumping roundhouse kick that connected with Sieg's shoulder. The kick forcibly turned his body to the side as Link thrust his shield at the older youth.

"Don't think you got me with that." Sieg kicked forward and stopped the shield in its place.

From behind the shield, came Link's sword that prevented any quick followup from the short blades. Link jumped up and swung his sword down, but as expected, Sieg blocked it with both of his blades.

As their blades locked, they exerted strength into their feet and arms and tried to break the stalemate. Link's feet slid back a few inches before he put more strength into his legs and pushed his opponent back by also a few inches.

"Why don't you give up already?" Sieg asked, the strain of maintaining his position was visible on his face.

"Aren't you the one getting burned out?" Link countered with a grin. "Why don't you give in?"

"As if!" Sieg let out a roar and broke the stalemate as their blades forcibly separated.

Without missing a beat, the two swung their blades against each other. The

deafening sound of metal colliding reverberated around the area as their blades clashed against each other multiple times.

Sieg moved to sweep Link's leg with one of his short blades, but he hopped over it and swung his blade at Sieg. With great speed, Sieg blocked the attack with his other blade, but it was not enough to completely stop the heavier weapon. He flipped backwards several times until there was a noticeable gap between them. Afterwards, he broke out in a run and started circling around Link.

 _"This could be bad. He's not as fast as Impa, but he's still pretty dang fast."_ Link brought his shield closer to his body as he tried to focus on Sieg's movements that were growing faster by the second. The longer it went on, the harder it was for him to keep his eyes on him. Then, a blade came thrusting towards his side. Using a lot of his reflex, he blocked the attack in time, but was suddenly assaulted from another side. That attack didn't connect either, but there was no sign of Sieg stopping anytime soon.

"What are you going to do now?" He mockingly laughed.

After Link blocked the next attack, he quickly sheathed his sword and shield. _"He may be fast, but his movements should be predictable. I just need to concentrate."_ He slowed his breathing and concentrated on the sounds around him until he only heard the sound of footsteps. It suddenly got louder and he turned to his side. In a flash, he drew his sword with his left hand and then along with his right, swung down with all of his might. The powerful swing ignited a blast of wind that scattered pieces of grass into the air.

Sieg had stopped in his tracks and stood at the end of the blade, only a few inches separated him and the weapon. Despite being just inches away from losing his life, the older youth remained surprisingly composed as he stared at the gilded sword.

"The _Mortal Draw_ , was it?" He moved the blade away from him with the push of his finger. "It's quite a killer technique, but I don't think it'll be very useful with your gilded sword. You need a longer one, but even then, do you think you can actually use it against people?"

Link took a hard look at the sword that's been at his side for years now. His face grimaced as he sheathed his sword afterwards. "Maybe I should think of getting a new sword then?"

"Like the ones supplied by our army?"

"No, I need a quality one."

"And where are you going to get one like that?"

_"Well, it's a good thing we're conveniently near such a place."_

* * *

After several years had passed since Link returned to his original time, he noticed that certain events were straying from the future he knew and witnessed. One such change was the increased interactions between Gorons and humans. Every day since he'd been in Kakariko, he saw a few Gorons around. They were either just crossing the village on their way to Hyrule field or they were just hanging around and selling their wares. Link and Sieg stopped by the stand of one such Goron after their sparring session. It was located at the bottom of the stairs that connected the path to Death Mountain.

"Based on the sweat on your foreheads, I'm thinking that you were both fighting each other?" Mansu asked once he saw them approach his stand.

"That's a good guess," Sieg replied. "We'll take a bottle of hot spring water my good Goron."

"Coming right up." The Goron opened the lid of a steel drum container and scooped out two bottles full of water."

The soldiers each gave him 20 rupees before guzzling down the warm refreshing drink.

"That hits the spot." Sieg wiped his mouth and handed the bottle back to Mansu. "I'd like another."

As the Goron was preparing another bottle, Link craned his neck up at the massive Death Mountain. "Do me a favor will ya, Sieg? I'll be climbing up the mountain and be gone for a while. Cover for me."

"Wait, what? What are you planning on doing there?" Sieg reached a hand out and tried to stop him, but Link was quickly already up the road.

The guard on duty at the gate to Death Mountain was enjoying a mid-day nap in the corner. He held tightly onto his spear as if somebody was going to tear it away from him while he was sleeping.

"I can sort of understand how the captain feels." Link shook his head and then looked around. "Wasn't there supposed to be somebody else with you?" After failing to locate anybody else, Link dashed through the opened gate without waking up his comrade.

The structure of the mountain path hadn't changed much throughout the years. There was an immediate path to the left which would eventually exit out to Hyrule field while the one to the right lead further up the mountain.

What had changed were small railings now in place on the ledges that helped prevented people from falling to their deaths. There were also signs that posted the current location and the remaining distance to arrive at specific locations on the mountain.

As he continued up the mountain path that spiraled upwards, the temperature was noticeably rising in comparison to how far he had climbed. Along the way, he had yet to meet another person on the trail.

After twenty minutes of climbing, he reached an opened small plateau that hung out of the mountain's side. The once empty area was now transformed into a resting spot of sorts. Several wooden benches were placed around it and unlike his trip up the mountain so far, there were actually a few people relaxing here along with the Goron manning a stand on the side.

As Link walked towards the stand, he noticed that most of the people here were from the village. There was also a Hylian soldier relaxing on a chair with a spear in one hand and a bottle of hot spring water in another. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be guarding the gate to Death Mountain?"

The guard nearly dropped his spear and bottle when Link spoke to him. "T-That's right, but I'm just taking a short break…Wait, what are _you_ doing up here?"

There was an awkward pause between the two soldiers that lasted for nearly 30 seconds. "I didn't see you if you didn't see me…" Link quietly proposed.

"Deal," the guard quickly agreed and then returned to his seat.

Link blew out a sigh of relief and approached the Goron wearing a straw hat at the stand. "How's business going?"

"Not as great as I'd like, but at least I get customers." The Goron eyed Link's clothing. "Are you a Hylian soldier in Kakariko? You have unusual clothing. I guess you're the one that brother Mansu mentioned."

"That's probably me then."

"So you're the green swordsman…" The Goron nodded. "Yeah, I can see why he thinks there's something special about you. What are you doing up here?"

"Just climbing up the mountain to meet Biggoron."

"What do you want with brother Biggoron? If you're trying to get him to make a weapon for you, then it's better if you just go back."

"Why? Is there something wrong with him?"

The Goron shook his head. "No, it's not that. But I think it's better if he explains it himself. In the meantime, how about some hot spring water?" He flashed him a wide smile and gestured to the large barrel near him.

"I just had a full bottle a few minutes ago, but…" Link thought about the remaining distance to the Goron City. "Okay, I could take a short break." He bought a bottle of hot spring water and went over to the railing protected ledge. It was one of the best views he ever saw in Hyrule. The sky and field stretched as far as he could see. Almost like a sea of blue and green. If he reached out, he could wrap his hand around the small villages and towns below.

Despite the rising heat, a gentle breeze caressed his cheeks. He could get himself lost in the view, but he remembered he had things to do. "Good luck on your business," Link told the Goron on his way out.

The second half of the Death Mountain trail was more difficult than the first half. The path became steeper and the temperature became hot enough that he found himself sweating already. It was also the point where the other Gorons made their appearances. They rolled down the path so Link had to be vigilant on staying out of their way unless he wanted to be knocked off the mountain.

Once he climbed for nearly an hour, he reached a fork in the road. There was a sign posted that showed that the right larger path lead into the Goron city while the left smaller path lead to Biggoron's shop. "Finally, it's about time," Link muttered as he wiped the sweat on his eyebrows. He continued up the left path which eventually ended in a large clearing with a ledge that overlooked part of eastern Hyrule field.

Biggoron's shop wasn't anything fancy as what most people would've believed considering his reputation. It was actually very ordinary. If it weren't for the sign posted on the wall, it would have just look like another open clearing on the mountain. The big Goron himself wasn't even present either.

"Did he go somewhere?"

As if his mind was read, Link felt a strong vibration running below his feet. A massive hand appeared and grasped onto the ledge. Then, bigger than the hand itself, a Goron head rose up from the depths of the cliff. A wide smile spread across his enormous face. From his viewpoint, he could only see the giant Goron's head and a part of his neck.

"Good day, young human. I've been taking a nap when you got heeeerrrreeee." He released a yawn so loud that it shook the mountain.

Link clamped his ears shut with his hands until it was safe to release them. "Sorry to bother you during your nap, Biggoron, but I need your help"

"Help?" Biggoron furrowed his hairless eyebrows.

"I'd like to commission you for two swords."

The big Goron frowned. "I'm sorryyyyy, but you came all this way for nothing. I can't make any weapons for you."

"Why not?"

Biggoron lowered his eyes. "The Patriarch had forbidden me from making any more weapons without his permission."

"Since when…and why?" The color drained from Link's face as he recalled what the other Goron had just told him.

"It has been this way for…more than two years ago, I think? I don't know why he had done this, but there's nothing I can do about it. But, if you need high quality spoons, forks or other tools, then I can certainly help you out. What do you say?" Biggoron put on his best salesperson smile.

"I don't have any need for such tools so I'll go see Darunia about this matter." Link made his way back to the path, suddenly feeling like his legs were made of heavy steel.

"You can try, but I don't think it'll be easy convincing him." Biggoron waved his hand and then retreated back to where he was below the cliff.

"Wonder what's going on?" Link muttered and continued on his way. It didn't take him very long to reach Goron City from the fork. Just like before, the entrance didn't particularly stand out. It was just a large hole in a wall. After taking only a few steps inside, a Goron rolled past him. If he'd gone in any earlier, then he might have been smashed by the heavy body.

Consisting of several chambers within the City, the one at the entrance lead straight into the central chamber which was the largest and housed many of the important rooms and departments. As with the other chambers, most of the lighting came from the numerous torches that hung on the walls.

Link wiped the sweat on his forehead. As usual, the City's temperature was constantly on the hotter side, but the Gorons seem to not care about it one bit.

"Are you a visitor from Kakariko?" A nearby Goron wearing a blue cap approached him once he caught his attention. "If you're here for the hotsprings then I can guide if you'd like." He smoothly directed his attention towards the western side by gesturing with his hand.

"Thanks, but I'm not here for the hotsprings."

"Oh? Then may I ask where are you headed?" He politely asked.

"I'm actually going to meet with the Patriarch."

The Goron's eyebrows rose up for a moment, but then returned to a softer expression. "If you have business with our Patriarch, then it must be important. If you don't mind, I can lead you to him."

" _I already know the way though."_ Link was prepared to refuse, but then the Goron's friendly and approachable smile made it hard for him to say no. _"The Gorons have really improved on their hospitality."_ He nodded his head approvingly.

"Please, lead the way," Link finally replied.

The Goron directed Link to the steel walkway attached to the side of the ledge.

"I don't recall seeing this here before," Link commented, impressed with the new addition to the city.

"Then it's been a while since you last been here, correct? A few years ago, we started receiving more outside visitors and our Patriarch realized that it's a dangerous environment for them because we Gorons like to roll around at fast speeds."

Link nodded as he recalled his close encounter just minutes ago.

"This walkway was created to make it safer for humans to travel around the City. To date, we have yet to receive any notifications about accidents or injuries." He puffed out his chest in pride as he guided Link down the walkway.

"There seems to be a lot of improvements too from what I see." The platforms in the middle of the chambers were originally all hung and connected by rope and small wooden walkways. But those were now replaced by actual wide bridges that were secured tightly from each side. In the corner of his eye, he saw a platform with exposed gears in the walls. "Is that a lift?"

"That's correct! It's a recent addition that was well received among our visitors. It makes it easy for them to reach the different levels in our city in a short amount of time. Would you like to try it?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

After about a minute of walking, they reached the lift that was being manned by another Goron. "Which floor would you like to go?"

"Bottom floor," the guide replied.

Link and the guide went onto the lift as the other Goron walked over to the large crank next to the lift. After a grunt, the Goron rotated the lever so that the platform began to slowly descent. The ride was surprisingly relaxing and steady. It gave a great view of the opened chamber and he could see a few humans and Gorons traveling across the levels.

"How was the ride?" The guide asked once they reached the ground floor.

"Too short," Link quickly replied.

The guide let out an amused laugh that consisted of small pauses in between. "I'm glad to hear it."

The path towards the Patriarch chambers had a large number of Goron guards situated on each side, all of them quite muscular and stood with an imposing presence. With the glares they were giving, Link didn't think he would safely get to his destination without the guide's help.

"Please hold on a moment," the guide said once they reached the end. He whispered a few things to the two guards in front before he made his way towards the back.

Link wasn't sure how long he was gone, but the awkward silent tension with the Goron guards made it seemed like hours before he returned.

"Our Patriarch doesn't seem to be in a good mood, but he still agreed to see you." He flashed him a wide smile and then gestured towards the entryway. "I hope your business ends well, but this is all I can help you with. Please enjoy the remaining time of your stay." As he made his way back to the lift, Link almost asked him to wait for him, but then thought that he was just too paranoid on getting attacked after he left.

"Well, hopefully it's better than our first encounter," Link mumbled and then calmly walked through the passageway. Darunia's chamber wasn't as big as most people expected, especially from the leader of the powerful Goron people. It was big enough to fit about 50 people, but still small enough that it had a relaxing atmosphere. That was partially ruined by the stern Goron sitting at his desk made of stone. He was perusing through some papers and made little effort to acknowledge Link's presence.

"There aren't many outsiders who want to seek an audience with me," Darunia suddenly said as he placed the papers down. "What do you want?" The tone in his voice didn't reflect any anger, but it exactly sounded pleasant either.

"Thank you for granting me an audience with you." Link slightly bowed his head. "I originally came to meet Biggoron to commission a sword. But I was told that he was forbidden to do that based on your orders."

Darunia grunted and then crossed his arms. "That's correct. Then are you here to get my permission?"

Link nodded.

"Denied. Please leave if that's all you came here for. I have work to do." The Goron Patriarch picked up his papers and returned to where he left off.

"Please grant my request." Link's hands clenched into fists as he remained rooted in his spot. Something that Darunia had noticed.

"Why do you need a weapon from Biggoron?"

"I'll need a better weapon if I want to defeat my enemies."

"Enemies, you say?" An amused smirk appeared on Darunia's face as he dropped his papers and looked straight into Link's eyes.

"Ganondorf and the Gerudo," Link quietly replied. His response took Darunia by surprised and the room became deathly quiet. The only sound came from the flickering flames on the torches.

"Are you a knight of Hyrule?" Darunia narrowed his eyes as he walked over to him from his desk.

"A soldier stationed in Kakariko."

The Goron Patriarch took notice of Link's clothing and his equipment. He paused for a long moment as if he was pondering something. "We're done here. Please leave."

Link clenched his teeth and continued to remain rooted to his spot. _"I can't just leave yet. Not until I get permission. There must be something that can get him to say yes. Just think!"_

"Why are you just standing there?" Darunia asked once he got back to his desk. I'd rather not throw you out myself."

" _Gorons do acknowledge strength and they do like sumo so…"_ Link shook his head. _"I can't beat them with my strength."_ He clicked his tongue. _"If only I still have the gauntlets or those iron boots."_

"Hey, are you just ignoring me now?" With a displeased grunt, Darunia made his way back to the Hylian soldier who kept his head down and muttered incoherent words. "I think I've been patience enough." The Goron Patriarch raised his arm when Link suddenly shouted.

"I'll retrieve the Megaton Hammer for you!"

The sudden declaration took Darunia by surprised and left him speechless, his arm dangling awkwardly in the air. "What…did you just say?" He finally asked in a low voice, almost like a whisper that only the two of them could hear.

Link's eyes reflected a strong determination as he held the Goron's gaze. "I will get the Megaton Hammer for you if you will allow Biggoron to create a sword for me."

Wrinkles on Darunia's forehead appeared as he quietly mulled over Link's proposition. "How do you know about the Megaton Hammer? And what about-?"

"Volvagia?" Link quickly answered. "I've heard stories."

"You're well informed…for just a soldier." Darunia's body relaxed as he slowly returned to his desk. "What makes you think that I even want the Megaton Hammer? We're not in any immediate danger from the dragon that has died several centuries ago."

" _Good. Now that I've got his attention. The rest will depend on how I explain it."_

"That's true, but there's always a risk that Volvagia will revive. There's no guarantee that it'll remained dead. Doesn't its spirit continue to dwell in the mountain? I'm sure a cautious leader such as you wouldn't ignore such a risk."

Darunia's suddenly frowned and clenched his fists.

" _Shoot, did I just make it worse? Maybe he's not as superstitious as I thought."_ Link got ready to draw his sword and shield and braced for an altercation. However, the seconds flew by and no fists or body flew at him.

"For years now, I've been concerned about the dragon," Darunia said without any hint of anger in his voice. "I can't explain why, but I feel that its return is imminent. And without the hammer, I fear the worse for my people. As much as I would like to retrieve it, the Fire Temple remains a sacred place for Gorons so that I cannot just freely enter whenever I wish."

"And that's where I come in," Link said, his body easing into a calm state. "I don't intend to defile the place whatsoever. I'll just retrieve it and head straight out."

Darunia grunted and slightly nodded his head. "If you can do that for me, then I'll grant your request. However, the entrance has been blocked and I have no intention to clear it."

"Don't worry, I know another way to get inside." Link flashed his teeth and gave the Goron Patriarch a thumbs up, which made even the stern leader amused.

"Very well, then be on your way." Darunia dismissed the Hylian with a wave.

Without wasting any more time, Link dashed out of the room and down the long path towards the lift. _"Okay, the hard part is over. So what do I need before I go in?"_ Once he got on the lift, he pulled the lever and closed his eyes, recalling past events. _"It's going to be hot."_

He got off on the second floor and proceeded through several tunnels until he entered a large room with a counter at the end. The Goron who sat behind it was resting his head on his hand and let out a long yawn when Link stood in front of him.

"Welcome, what can I get you?" The Goron vender asked before stifling a second yawn.

The shelves in the back displayed potion bottles and various weapons. There were some things missing from the last time he was here.

"You don't carry bombs?"

"We do, but we're restricted from selling them to just anybody that walks through the door."

" _Must be Darunia's doing as well."_

Link scanned the wares again and frowned. The one thing he was looking for was nowhere in sight. "Do you have any special heat resistant clothing?"

The Goron's bored eyes suddenly grew large in surprise. "I think I have one left. They aren't popular at all with visitors so I stopped having them made. Why? Do you want one?"

"Yes."

The Goron rubbed his chin as he thought about something. He then left for the backroom and returned with a red colored tunic.

"Thanks. How much?" Link took out his rupee bag, but nearly dropped it when he heard what the Goron said next.

"400 rupees."

"What?! It can't cost that much! Didn't you say that it wasn't selling? Why did you increase the price like that?"

"I did say that, but I got a feeling that you're desperate for one since you specifically asked for it. I don't think you'll refuse." The Goron extended his plump hand out and waited with a wide grin.

The audacity to not even bother hiding the fact that the Goron was overcharging him had made Link's jaw drop to the floor. _"How times have changed."_ With a deep scowl, Link pulled out the necessary rupees and dropped them onto the Goron's open palm. "This better be worth the price."

"Thank you and please come again." The Goron happily smiled and handed over the red tunic.

Link grumbled incoherently as he had to nearly drag himself out of the shop before making a scene. It took him almost a minute to finally cool off and think about what's ahead. "That should be all I need. Am I forgetting anything?...Probably not so to now find a secluded spot…" He inconspicuously scanned his surroundings and found only a few Gorons were near his vicinity. None paid any attention to him. A mere few seconds later, he slipped into a quiet narrow tunnel and entered a dark corner, away from the open central pathway.

"How did it go again?" He whispered after taking out his ocarina. "It's been a while so hopefully it'll be good enough. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then blew into the instrument. A beautiful yet intense melody flew out of the blue ocarina as he felt his body being covered by a warm light. Once the warmth turned into a heating scorch, he opened his eyes and found himself staring straight at an ancient temple. The cave-like surroundings had been replaced by the inside of a volcano.

He let out a loud cry as the intense heat burned against his skin. After frantically pulling out the red tunic, he wasted no time in stripping off his green one. Once he covered his head with the matching colored hat, the effect was felt almost immediately much to his relief. It was as if a magic aura had blanketed over his entire body and prevented the heat from passing through. "Well…not all of it," he groaned. The heat remained strong, but was actually tolerable to a certain extent. The materials from the Dodongo scales and Bomb flower fibers helped the tunic absorb the surrounding heat. It wasn't a magical equipment so it didn't completely render the heat into nothing.

Several fiery geysers erupted from the lava below. It shook the volcano and got his mind off the heat. "This isn't the time to just sit back and relax." His gaze fell on the fire temple's entranceway which was as rundown as he remembered. Parts of the stone walls and ceilings fell through so that the entrance was partially blocked. With all of the rumbling in the volcano, he wouldn't be all too surprised that the temple just collapsed one day.

" _But before it does…"_

Link hopped over several stone platforms that lead to the entrance, careful to not slip and fall to his death. After one final jump, he finally made it to the temple and began descending the dark staircase. He fell into complete darkness once he descended about thirty steps. "Well, this is different." Unfazed by the darkness, he ruffled through his item bag and pulled out a deku stick. With one hand placed near the tip, he slowed his breathing and concentrated. "Let there be light." A flame quietly ignited on the stick and illuminated the darkness.

Once his sight returned, he continued down the staircase until he entered a massive chamber. It wasn't until he lit several nearby torches when he saw the large body of lava gushing through the walls and covering much of the floor in the center. Other than the intense heat emitting from inside the temple, the heavy pressure that once gripped his soul was not there. _"I don't feel his presence here,"_ he thought as he blew out a breath of relief. "No more wasting time then."

He entered a side door that he recalled lead to where the hammer was last placed while remaining diligent of what may jump out from the shadows.

It had been several long years since he last walked the fiery halls of the fire temple so much of the layout was hazy at best. However, once he was inside for an hour, his memories became clearer as if he was actually here recently. Enemies encountered were very few, mostly just Fire Keese that hung from the ceiling and Torch Slugs. All were easily taken care of with his bow and arrow.

Once he arrived at a room surrounded by steel bars and a magnificent chest in its center, he knew that he had reached his destination. He placed his torch on an empty torch holder and then wiped the thick sweat that accumulated on his forehead. "Just a little more and I'll finally get out of this hot prison. After just a few steps, a shockingly cold chill ran down his spine. Without checking his surroundings, he drew his sword and shield and turned around. To his horror, the Gerudo King stood just a few feet away, a wide grin on his face. "Ganondorf!"

The flame on the torch violently flickered back and forth, sweeping the room with moving shadows. The Gerudo King disappeared within the shadows and was no longer there.

Links' mouth hung opened as his breathing quickened and became unsteady. His eyes fixated on the spot where Ganondorf stood. _"Was I seeing things? Or was he actually there?"_ Sweat continued to pour down his face as the heat remained sweltering. _"My mind must be playing tricks on me because of the heat."_ That was the answer he decided on and just when he was about to relax his shoulders, he quickly twisted his body to the side and block an incoming slash with his shield.

A Stalfos released a deep growl as it jumped a few feet back to hide in the shadows.

" _Don't think you can use the darkness to hide from me."_ Link slowed his breathing and concentrated on his surroundings. "There!" He thrust his blade into darkness and pierced the Stalfos in its ribcage, pushing it into the wall before shattering it. Then, another Stalfos leaped out from the shadows and attacked his exposed backside. With a drop and roll to the side, he evaded the attack at the last moment and quickly circled around to its exposed backside. A spinning sword slash was all it took to defeat the second Stalfos.

The battle wasn't over as a third Stalfos walked up to him. This one appeared much calmer than the other two and was carefully watching his movements.

Link raised his sword and slowly extended it towards the skeleton warrior who almost made a move to raise its shield, but didn't as Link's sword didn't even reach it. _"It has a good guard, even reacted quickly to my sword."_

The first sword strike that broke the stalemate came from the Stalfos. Link blocked and parried the attack with his shield and quickly countered with his own. Like a mirror, the Stalfos parried the attack with the shield and moved to counter right after. This dance of parries and counters continued for several minutes. Despite switching targets on the body during each repetition, the results remained the same each time.

Link changed gears and did not counter during the last parry. _"I'm not a kid anymore. I'm quicker and have better reach this time. All I need to do is close the gap and attack when there's an opening!"_ He focused his sight and hearing on the Stalfos while ignoring the sudden rise in temperature.

The Stalfos patiently waited as well and after about two minutes, it made the first move. It slightly lowered its shield and raised its sword.

Like a flash of lightning, Link took one large step forward and thrust his blade, piercing the skull right in the center. The powerful attack forcibly separated its head from the spine causing it to collapse into a pile of bones.

Link's breathing had become heavy at this point. Partially from the battle, but also a result of the heavy heat that was covering the room. He wiped the sweat with the back of his arm, but realized it was also drenched in sweat. "I need to get out of here fast." He shuddered at the thought of dying from dehydration in the dark temple.

The door to the chest was stuck much to his annoyance. It became loose after a few hard kicks that loudly echoed around the room. _"It'd better still be there after all of the trouble."_ He opened the large chest and to this relief, found the ancient hammer resting inside without any significant wear and tear despite its age. While it wasn't a massive weapon, it was quite heavy. Something he had forgotten and nearly threw his back out when taking it out of the chest. "Now to get the hell out of here."

Link ran back the way he came from, but came to a sudden stop when he came to a fork. The other path led to the room where he fought Volvagia last time. Try as he might, he couldn't wrench his eyes away from that place. He clicked his tongue and quickly ran down the other path. _"It's not a huge detour so I might as well check."_

After another few minutes of descending a spiraling staircase, he entered a large chamber full of lava with a few pieces of ground rising above it. The door to Volvagia's chamber was even larger than the temple's entrance. Like a massive gate that prevented intruders from entering. Very grandiose despite what was once sleeping on the other side of it.

He leaped across the pieces of land until he was nearly breathing against the massive door. He slowly extended his hand, a slight tremble kept it from keeping steady. When it was within an inch away from the door, he stopped as he became clouded with hesitation. Maybe it was the heat, but the idea that Volvagia was still alive had unnerved him. As if time had stopped, he continued to stare at his frozen hand. _"Now's not the time to be afraid."_ He breathed in and made the final push to make contact with the door.

" _What was I expecting?"_ he wondered. The door felt hot, but it wasn't anything different from the already hot temperature. He sensed nothing behind it. _"Ganondorf wasn't here."_

He blew out the breath that was stuck in his throat without realizing it. "It's time to _really_ get out." It was as if his energy got replenish when he made his way back to the entrance. The fatigue and heat didn't bother him as much as it did before. Once he got out of the temple, he quickly came face to face with a large pile of rocks blocking the volcano's exit. "This will be the final time I get to use this, huh." He pulled out the Megaton Hammer and swung at the rocks with all of his might.

A cool breeze blew against his face once he stepped outside an opening he made. He stretched his arms out and began taking off the tunic when he caught a nearby Goron staring at the shattered rocks with shocked opened eyes.

"Heyyyyy, didn't see you there," Link calmly said as he slowly slid the green tunic down his upper body. It seemed like the Goron was just taking an afternoon nap when he was forcibly awakened by the rock pounding.

"How did you get inside the volcano?" The Goron glanced over at the large hole within the rocks before returning his attention to Link. "The entrance was closed just a few minutes ago.

"I uh…" The Hylian scratched the back of his head and looked around. "Yeah, I kind of found a secret passageway or something…But anyway, sorry to bother you. Please return to your nap." Before the Goron could say anything else, Link hurried down the path and out of view.

The temperature was still hot during this time, but after spending several hours in the hottest place in Hyrule, it felt like he was running around Lake Hylia in the middle of winter. It felt so refreshing that he almost went straight to Darunia, but he did opted to buy a hot springwater on the way. That was all he needed to feel like he returned to 100% before his trip into the temple. It didn't do anything to his ruffled hair and dirty face though.

* * *

"Seems like you've went through a lot," Darunia noted once Link barged though the Patriarch's doorway. "I expected that your clothes would be…less clean however." His eyebrows narrowed, a look of doubt reflecting through his eyes.

"I _did_ found the hammer," Link quickly said, taking out his item bag. "I changed clothes before I got back here."

Darunia remained in doubt until his eyes lay upon the simple design of the Megaton Hammer. Even the stern Goron leader couldn't keep his mouth from opening in amazement. With slow cautious hands, he took the hammer and raised it up to the light, his eyes running across the ancient runes that were etched into its head. "This is definitely the ancient Megaton Hammer. I never thought that I've would ever wield it and hopefully, never have to use it."

"Those markings on it…are they writing?"

"More than Might, Strength within." When he noticed the confusion on Link's face, Darunia let out a chuckle. "It's an old saying among the Goron people. Strength is made up of more than just a person's might. This also matters." He beat his chest emphatically and then placed the hammer down by his desk.

The young Hylian slowly nodded his head. "The ancient hero seems like a wise Goron. Though, I don't understand why he left the hammer deep within the volcano and far out of reach from the Gorons."

"He was a strong courageous warrior and can be intelligent at times, but he was shortsighted sometimes. At least that's what I heard. I trust that you didn't run into any problems along the way?"

"Just a bit." Link grinned and crossed his arms. "Nothing that I can't take care of anyway."

"You have a lot of confidence. I like that. And what about…Volvagia?"

Link frowned. "I didn't detect any signs of it if that's what you're asking."

"That's good then. Even if I never have to use the hammer, you have my gratitude."

"Then does that mean you'll allow Biggoron to make me a sword?" Link's eyes lit up in anticipation.

Darunia nodded as his own eyes seems to have lit up as well. "Of course. I don't go back on my word."

"Yesss!" Link pumped his fist into the air and did a little celebration dance on the spot.

"I didn't catch it earlier, but what's your name, young warrior."

Link stopped his dance and stood tall with his back straight. He made a salute and said, "My name is Link, a soldier in the army's Eastern Division, 5th Company."

Darunia's smile quickly turned upside down. "Did you say your name was…Link?"

"Yes…is there a problem?"

"Not really a problem, but…" Darunia leaned against his desk and stroke his beard. "I have a son."

"… _No way."_

"I originally planned to name him something else, but for some reason, the name _Link_ continued to occupy my mind during that time. It was as if somebody was whispering the name into my ear while I sleep so that I won't forget it."

"That wasn't me," Link quickly denied.

"Of course not! It just seemed weird since I never even heard that name before."

" _Yeah, that is weird. He shouldn't have any memories of me in this time."_

"So your son has the same name as mine," Link said with a forced laugh. "It's a good name."

"Now that I think about it…" Darunia narrowed his eyes as he held Link's gaze. "About three or four years ago, we had a Dodongo problem at the cavern. But one day, they were suddenly taken care of and nobody knew why. I remembered hearing about talks about a person in green spotted nearby…"

"Sounds interesting," Link nonchalantly replied. "You don't think the green person was a ghost, do you?"

"I don't think so, but I guess it doesn't really matter now. It's in the past so we should be thinking about the present and the future. I don't say this very often, but…guards!"

Link's heart skipped a beat when the heavily armed guards quickly rushed into the room.

"What's the matter, Patriarch?" The guards looked at Link before turning their attention to the Goron leader.

Darunia gestured at Link and said, "From this day forward, this young warrior named Link is my sworn brother! Spread the word so that every Goron understands this."

"We will carry it out right away," a guard said, before joining the others who left the room.

"Uh, did you just…?" Link became at a loss for words at the sudden unexpected development.

"Of course, _brother_." Darunia placed a heavy muscular arm over Link's shoulders. "You have my gratitude in retrieving the hammer. It may not be helpful while I live, but I can guarantee you that it will be important at some point in the future."

" _To think it would happen again."_ Link sighed and felt his tension dissipating. "I thought sworn brother declarations were left to really important moments. All I did was found a hammer."

"It's true I wouldn't normally do this just because you brought back the Megaton Hammer, but there's something about you that I feel like I can really trust. Sometimes, it's okay to listen to the feeling you have inside." He tapped his chest with his fist as his eyes narrowed with conviction. "I did this before and I don't regret it."

"You have another sworn brother?" Link asked as he squirmed out of Darunia's arms.

"How many years has it been?" The Goron Patriarch's gaze fell on a painting depicting of a field surrounded by forests, mountains and a castle near the top. "Was it 15 years ago when the King of Hyrule became my sworn brother?"

Link's long ears perked up at the mention of the King. "How did that even happen?" It was then that he recalled the story about the Gorons involvement in the war. "It happened during Hyrule's Civil War, right? Can you tell me about it? I didn't know the Gorons had a role in it."

Darunia's smile quickly flipped upside down into a deep frown. It was one that Link had never quite seen on his face before. A mix of anger and sadness is what it looked like to him.

"There's a lot of unpleasant memories there. It is the Goron way to look forward and not be bogged down by the past. But…" He looked straight into Link's eyes and then lightly nodded his head, looking satisfied at whatever he saw. "I heard a saying from the humans, study the past to avoid repeating the future. It's probably beneficial for you to know."

"Wouldn't hurt for me to know at least."

"Very well." Darunia sat down behind his desk and prepared for a long discussion. "I'm assuming you don't know much about it?"

Link quietly nodded.

"For many years before Hyrule was united, we Gorons shared a conflicted relationship with the humans. We did not see eye to eye and there were a few minor physical altercations during that time. Nothing major. Even during the Civil War, we remained on the sidelines for much of it, but that all changed when some of your own dared to trespass onto our mountain and murder many of our people."

Darunia's voice grew deeper and rough as if he was keeping his rising anger restrained.

"They were apparently trying to steal the Zelestan Ore and Bomb Flowers that were found here. To do that, they cut down all those that stood in their way. Even the old and young children. This was not something we can just let go so we paid blood…with blood." He violently slammed his hand down on his desk. "We forcibly removed the invaders and begun our attacks on the people of Hyrule. It's not something we're proud of, but at least we did not harm unarmed civilians. We didn't bother with those other humans from the south since they weren't involved with our conflict."

" _If the Gorons were unhindered, then they could really inflict serious damage."_ Link silently shuttered at the thought. "I'm sorry to hear that my people did that. Did you know if it was the nobility that attacked your people?" Link slowly met Darunia's gaze and he could see pain through his eyes.

"It was something I later heard. I don't really understand the concept of _nobility_ , but I was convinced that a specific group of people were the ones that instigated the attacks instead of Hyrule as a whole. This is something that even we Gorons can understand."

"I'm guessing you heard it from the King? I'm surprised that you even listened to him." There was a throbbing in Link's chest that became stronger as the story went on. To his surprise, Darunia suddenly smirked.

"Brother Matteus was an interesting person. Still too young to lead is how I saw him yet there was something about him." The growing thick tension began to lighten when the King was mentioned. "It was some time after we were already active participants in the _war_. Imagine how I felt when I suddenly received word that the King of Hyrule was personally climbing up the mountain to request an audience with me. He brought no one."

"Alone without any guards? That sounds reckless and dangerous." Link imagined a sole unarmed man entering the mountain filled with countless Gorons ready to tear him apart.

"That's what I thought too!" Darunia leaned against his seat and wrapped his hands together. "I just ignored his request, but told the others to not lay a finger on him unless he attacks. Then a day went by. Then another. He was refusing to leave, but wasn't forcing his way through either. Admittedly, I became curious about him and decided to meet him. I didn't know much about him before so I imagined that he was like those scums that attacked us. The reality was that he was completely different which was probably why he left such an impression on me."

"Was he that great?"

"Based on my initial impression, no. He was extremely tired and full of fatigue when he was brought before me. It didn't seem like he ate much during those days he waited. Dressed in rather ordinary clothing, he was nothing like how I thought the King of people who placed so much importance in clothing had looked. It was quite a surprising sight. So I lent an ear to him. As you might have figured, he said that the attack was not done on the direction of his kingdom and wanted to seek peace. When I refused, he continued to persist until I challenged him to a sumo match."

"That's a terrible deal," Link mused. "Don't tell me he actually won?"

"He didn't." Darunia chuckled. "After he lost, he asked for a re-challenge. I obliged and he asked for another after he lost again. This went on for quite a while. I don't know how many matches we got through, but it was a shocking amount."

"His resolve must be hard as steel then."

"That's exactly right! Even when he was on his final legs, desperately grasping for air, he still tried to get a single victory even if his body would collapse. His mind still seemed strong at the time, but his body was giving away. I'll tell you that it was the moment I saw it."

"Saw what?"

"The length he was willing to go to protect his people. His life didn't matter so long as he fulfilled his duty. There was a brilliance in his eyes that I rarely see, even among the Gorons. We had a serious discussion among leaders afterwards. It didn't take me long to agree to a peace treaty."

Link's eyes grew wide as he marveled at how the king accomplished his goal against all odds. "I didn't think he was such an amazing person. It's kind of different from some of the things I've heard." _"Mostly from the Princess."_

"Things are not always what it may seem to be. Sometimes you have to carefully observe a person with an open mind before you can truly understand."

Link just murmured something incoherent in response as Darunia continued his story.

"My decision for peace wasn't taken very well by nearly half of my people. I feared that we would have our own civil war, but I was fortunate to avoid that. As for the rest, we moved to a neutral role as the war continued. It wasn't until after the war that we made an official alliance with the royal family. Something that may very well be put into play soon…" He tapered off as he let out heavy sigh. "Anything else you want to know, brother?"

"I think that's enough for one day. It's about time I get in touch with Biggoron."

"Anytime, brother. Feel free to visit whenever you're in the area. We should have a sumo match or pay a visit to our hot springs."

"I'll consider it next time." Link waved goodbye to the Goron Patriarch and made his way back to Biggoron. The massive Goron had an amused grin on his face when Link saw him.

"Hey brotherrrrr, I heard the good news. I don't know how you got to be sworn brothers with our Patriarch, but I'm impressed either way."

"Does that mean that you're going to make my swords now?"

"Of courseee. You said you wanted a new sword, right?"

"That and also one of your standard long swords."

"Including the Biggoron Special, it'll cost you 500 Rupees."

Link's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "H-How much did you just say?"

"500 Rupees," Biggoron repeated with little emotion as if it was nothing out of ordinary.

" _I don't remember it costing this much…well actually, I think it was free then."_ Link grimaced in pain as he thought about his wallet. "But your brother sells his swords for only 200 rupees!"

"You're free to buy it from him instead if you want." The Goron scratched his head and shrugged.

"…Yeah…I'd rather not."

"That's the smart choice."

"How about a discount then?"

"I normally charge 400 Rupees for a Biggoron Special so I'm already giving you a big discount with the second sword."

Link heaved out a heavy sigh and just nodded his head. "Fine, let's do it." He grudgingly handed over the funds into the hands of the delighted Goron.

"Pleasure doing business with yo-." Biggoron suddenly grimaced and begun rubbing his eyes. "Sorry about that, there's just some dust that got into my eyes. The wind has been quite strong these days."

"You're not going to make me get eyedrops for you, right?"

"Whyyyy would I ask you?" Biggoron took out a small bottle from somewhere below and poured drops of the liquid into his eyes. "I already have my friend in Zora Domain send some to meeee."

" _That's a relief."_ Link recalled his unpleasant adventure consisting of fetching things for people.

"Please leave your sword with meee," Biggoron said once he finished applying the eyedrops.

"What for?"

"I'm going to use the gold dusted material to forge a new one. It's not something I see very often so I'd like the opportunity to combine it with Zelestan Ore."

" _Kind of like when the Razor Sword was forged into a new sword with Gold Dust then."_ Link liked the idea of that so he willingly handed his Gilded Sword over.

Biggoron carefully gleaned over the sword in his palm. "Whoever made this sword was a quality blacksmith."

" _If only you knew…"_

"Would this length be good for you?" Biggoron picked up a wooden stick and drew a line in the dirt.

"That looks great. How much time will it take to make the swords?"

"About 4 to 5 days. You can check in after the 4th day."

"Then I'll see you then."

On his way back to the village, he realized how much time he spent on getting a new sword and fretted whatever punishment he was going to get. When he reached the gates, he noticed that the absent guard had returned.

"You just got back from Death Mountain?"

"Yeah. Did the Captain say anything?"

The guard shook his head. "Nope. Still plastered at the bar when I last checked a few minutes ago."

"That guy needs serious help." Link shook his head, but was relieved that he was going to avoid a lengthy lecture. He stretched his arms out and stifled a yawn. Without putting much thought into it, his legs started moving into the direction of the barracks. He was more tired than he realized when he almost ran right into Sieg who was standing in the middle of the road.

"Hey, about time you got back," Sieg said, moving towards him with an ecstatic expression on his face. "Guess who showed up?"

"I don't have time to play guessing games right now." Link lightly shoved Sieg away and nearly ran into the person standing behind him. "W-What are you doing here?" Link's eyes quickly grew wide as his fatigue suddenly washed away. The girl in front of him was shorter than him by a few inches. Her pink lips curved into a pretty smile that could make a young boy's heart skip a beat. Her silky green hair had grown in length over the years, reaching just below her neck. Even though it was only recently that her body started growing and had appeared younger than him by about one or two years, it was quite apparent that she'll blossom into an attractive young woman in just a few years, but that was the last thing he was thinking of at the moment. "What are you doing here, Saria? And those clothes…" She was wearing a mostly black short sleeved top and shorts with a green cloak that reached below her waist. On top of her head was a green beret that was slightly slanting to the side. Kylie flew out from behind Saria and was slowly hovering from side to side, seemingly enjoying the reunion.

Despite the frown that he was giving her, Saria continued to smile.

"It's obviously the uniform for the medic corps." Sieg leaned in and whispered against Link's ear.

"I know that," Link spat and then pointed a finger at Saria. "Why? And when?"

"Relax, Link," she said, almost forcing her smile at this point. "Just breathe in and breathe out like so." She did just like that, but stopped when Link just remained silent, his frown grew deeper along with his eyebrows as the seconds ticked by." She then blew out a heavy sigh. "Okay, I'll tell you. A few months ago, after you left to join the army, I went to Hyrule castle to enlist as a medic. I heard that you already transferred to Kakariko when I got there so we didn't run into each other. I stayed and trained there until just recently when I was transferred here too."

"Why didn't anybody…why didn't _you_ say anything about joining?" Link's face flushed with red.

"Well, it was just a spur of the moment kind of thing?" She gave him a wry smile and looked away, playfully twirling one of her long bangs.

"Just because of that?! Okay, let's go." He forcibly grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the entrance to the village.

Saria cried out in pain as she tried to escape his grasp. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm taking you back to Celdic. You shouldn't be here."

"Link, get ahold of yourself!" Sieg quickly sprung into action and was able to pry Link's hand off, after exerting a lot of strength into his arms.

This time, it wasn't just Link who was feeling angry. Saria rubbed her wrist that was beginning to show red lines. She narrowed her eyes as tears began to gathered then stomped her foot on the ground. By then, people were gathering at the scene, watching with curiosity and amusement. "What's your problem?! Did I do something to piss you off?"

Link's face contorted for a few seconds before he clicked his tongue and walked past her without a word. A few of the other medic corp members took this opportunity to run out to Saria and checked if she was okay.

* * *

"Geez, what's his problem?" Saria repeated with the same intensity as before. She sat in the medical office and was treating her wounds. Sieg ended up following after her.

"Looks like a lover's spat." The senior medical officer couldn't hide her smirk as she handed Saria a bottle of ointment and bandages.

"We're not lovers," she adamantly denied, which also made Sieg grin in response.

"Don't take it to heart," he said. "He's a growing kid and we guys tend to be emotional at his age.

"It's not just boys, but girls too," Kylie added.

"So true," Sieg agreed with a nod.

Saria shot a displeased glare at both of them before focusing on her treatment. "To think I was up all night wondering how he'll act when he sees me…" She trailed off into an incoherent grumble. Sieg and the senior medical officer exchanged an amused look between the two of them.

"I think it's the first time I saw Link so angry since he arrived," the senior medical officer mused, sitting down on a nearby stool. "It was an interesting sight that's for sure."

Sieg let out a laugh before trying to steer the conversation away. "So how have you been? Was training difficult?"

"I've been well," Saria replied, her expression softening up. "Training was tolerable and it was interesting to learn about new treatment techniques and information."

"That's good to hear," the senior medical officer said. "I admit that it was troubling hearing about someone so young joining the corps, but I feel better after meeting you."

Sieg crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. "Since you were already learning about medicine and studying under a doctor, I figured you try doing something in the medical field, just not really expecting you to enjoy the army for it."

"I had my reasons," Saria curtly replied and quickly averted her gaze so that she was looking outside the window.

"Well, I think I understand why Link acted the way he did."

"Really?" Saria quickly returned her attention to Sieg, eyes wide open. "What do you know?"

"Sorry, not my place to say." He gave her an apologetic look and then stood up. "It's about time I head back to my duties, we'll talk more later. I'll check up on Link too while I'm at it."

Saria pouted in silence as Sieg left the room.

* * *

Three days flew by in a blink of an eye. During that time, Link had largely stayed away from Saria, often just giving her a silent emotionless look when they did crossed paths. Truth be told, his anger had already dissipated, but he still remained unhappy about the situation.

Despite the distance, he kept a near constant eye on her which allowed him to observe how she was doing. From what he could tell, she seemed to have gotten back to her usual cheerful self. It didn't take long before nearly everybody at Kakariko village knew about her. Her rise in popularity was at first surprising, but then he remembered that it was similar to how it was in Celdic. She became affectionately known as the "fairy girl" and it was common to see her with a number of people.

A few of the male soldiers pestered him about her much to his chagrin.

" _6 months was it?"_ He recalled how long ago he last saw her. It wasn't like a lot of time went by, but despite that, she somehow seemed to have grown a lot during that time. "Maybe that's just how she looked then, but I didn't remembered," he mumbled as he leaned against a railing that overlooked the central plaza where Saria was walking through with a couple of other medic corps members.

"You still haven't said anything else to her since then?" Sieg asked, causing Link to nearly jump out of his skin.

Link was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he couldn't even feel Sieg's presence. "Just waiting for a good opportunity," he murmured and returned his gaze to the plaza.

Sieg grunted and then crossed his arms. "I quit being the middle man so if you want to tell her anything, then do it yourself."

Link shrugged his shoulders. "Fine then."

Sieg found Link's response disappointing, but then changed the subject. "Isn't it about time you pick up your swords? It's been 3 days already, right?"

Link lifted his head and looked up at the sky. "Ah, you're right. I'll get going then."

"Wait up for me, will ya? I'll tag along with you, but I just need to get somebody to cover for me."

"Just hurry it up."

Once Sieg disappeared around the corner, Link felt a rising anticipation for his new weapons, particularly the transformed Gilded Sword. _"Wonder what it looks like. How it feels?"_ Such thoughts were making him giddy with laughter.

"What's so funny?"

A familiar voice brought him back to reality. His eyes bulge as his mouth slightly parted at the sight of his visitor. "What are you doing here?"

Saria grinned as she looked at his face before ambling towards him, a bounce in her step. "Sieg asked me to accompany you. You're getting new swords, right?"

Link's lips curved into a frown. "So he's not coming?"

"Said he had other plans. You don't want me along?"

Link clenched his teeth and began walking past her. He was going to turn her down once he got closer, but his feet stopped when he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. He clenched his fists and did all he could to look straight into her eyes. His mouth repeatedly opened and then closed without a word until he uttered a, "Let's go." After what seemed like an eternity searching for the right words, those were the only ones he could let out. But those were all it needed for Saria's face to brighten like stars in the sky. His heart skipped a beat for just a second.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the northern gate.

"I can walk by myself." He carefully removed himself from her grasp.

Once they entered the trail to Death Mountain, Saria ran a few feet ahead and looked up at the massive landform. "It looks even bigger from here. How long does it take to reach the top?"

"Over an hour," Link brusquely replied. "Longer if you just stand there gawking at the sights."

"Don't worry, I won't slow you down." She hurriedly ran after Link who was already disappearing behind a corner.

He shot a look at her once she caught up to him. "Be careful or you'll fall off the mountain."

"Move quickly or slow and carefully? Which is it?" She arched an amused eyebrow.

"The obvious one of course."

From there, the two continued up the path mostly in silence. Every now and then, Saria would loudly bring attention to something interesting she saw. Link would then respond with the typical "I see" or a grunted "Yeah."

Once they reached the opened plateau about halfway up, Link stopped and turned to Saria. "How about a break here?"

"Don't worry about me, I can still go on," she said from a few feet away from him.

He could see the sweat accumulating on her forehead and noticed that she was talking less as time went by. Not to mention that her pace had dropped quite a bit. He felt like rolling her eyes at her response. "Don't be stubborn and just rest for a while. I'm not in a rush."

"If you're okay with it…" Her lips grew into a wry smile. "I'll take you up on your offer then."

Link guided her towards a table at the far end of the plateau. It was more crowded than the last time he was here.

"Hey brother Link, it's good to see you again." The Goron selling hot spring water came up to him and slapped his back in a friendly manner. "Who's your friend?" He then noticed Kyrie hovering nearby. "Oh, the fairy girl I've heard so much about. It's good to meet you. Brother Mansu told me about you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Saria shook the Goron's large hand before sitting back down.

"Are you heading back to Goron City?" The Goron asked Link.

"Yeah, I have business with Biggoron."

"Thought so. Now, how about an order?"

"Two hot spring water."

"Coming right up."

"What's with the _brother_ Link?" Saria asked once the Goron left. "I thought the Gorons didn't know that you defeated the Dodongos?"

"I'm pretty sure they still don't know." Link took a seat and stretched out his legs. He spent the next few minutes recounting his mini adventure of getting the Megaton Hammer just so that Darunia would allow Biggoron to make him a new sword. "I didn't think he'll call me a sworn brother again."

"Even though history changed, some things probably will never change," Saria mused. She turned her head and looked out at the opened plateau so Link couldn't see her face. "Now that I think about it, you never brought me to Goron City after all of this time." She turned to face him, her lips forming into a small pout.

"Better late than never, right?" He found himself letting out a laugh that lessened the tension between them. Then it dawned on him that an opportunity had arrived. "Sorry…about before." He kept her face in his sight, but avoided looking into her eyes. He could feel sweat running down his neck while she remained silent for a long minute, her face voided of any noticeable emotion.

"Hmmm, me too," she softly replied. Just when it seemed like the atmosphere would become awkward, the Goron returned with their hot spring water. Saria drank it down fast and then got up to look at the scenery over the edge. "It's really beautiful," she quietly said, almost like a whisper in the wind.

"Yeah," Link said, looking in her direction, but not at what she was seeing. It took him a while to empty his bottle of hot spring water, but once he was done, Saria suggested continuing on.

Whether it was the peaceful resting place, the hot spring water or that they were finally able to apologize about their earlier meeting, the second half of their climb was much more relaxing. "How long have you thought about joining the army?" Link calmly asked.

"A while," she vaguely replied. "For some time. I don't really recall though."

"I see."

"You weren't happy to see me?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then why-?"

"I just didn't want to see you get hurt," he murmured "You know what's coming."

Saria froze in her tracks as Link quickly picked up speed. A tinge of red flashed across her face. "Don't worry, I'll be careful," she said once she caught up to him.

Link grunted. "Be careful around the other guys too. You don't know it, but they're like wolves."

"And I'm a helpless sheep?" She laughed.

Link ignored her mocking and continued unfazed. "What did Fado say when you left for the army?"

"Fado?" Saria left her mouth hanging open while she remained silent.

Link glanced over at her. "I can tell based on your expression that it didn't go very well. She wasn't happy…angry actually when Elott left. Same thing happened when I left, even though she already knew way ahead of time. With you gone, it's just her back in Celdic."

"You guessed it." Saria forced out a dry laugh as she lowered her gazed towards the ground. "I kind of sprung it up on her in the last minute."

"At least she knew about it beforehand," Link muttered, nearly shooting a glare at her until he realized it was just going to cause trouble again.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. Now can I continue with my story?"

Link could hear venom in her words and figured he should've kept his mouth shut. "Please do."

"As you might have figured, she wasn't happy with my decision."

"They started fighting," Kylie added. "Things were thrown. You're lucky you weren't there at the time."

"I can picture that," Link said, shuddering inside.

"That chair you liked was broken too."

"I'm…not going to say anything else about it."

Saria turned her head and looked in the direction of Celdic. "We still weren't on

speaking terms when I finally left so I don't how she's doing right now."

"She'll get over it someday…probably," Link reassured her with little confidence in his words. "Then what about Dr. Milo? More of the same?"

Saria's face suddenly brightened. "No actually. He was glad that I was pursuing this path. Said it was helpful. Not to mention that his old assistant came back too so my presence wasn't as needed as before."

"How convenient."

"Fate works in mysterious ways."

Link scoffed at her remark before he quickly pulled her to the side of the path and held her tight as a Goron came barreling down where they were standing. "That was close. Remember to keep an eye out for the Gorons while we're going up."

"I'll keep that in mind, but for now, can you release me?" She squirmed in his arms, her face flushed with red.

Link quickly let go and felt his face burning up as well. "Sorry," he murmured.

"It's no big deal," she said with a smirk and then straightened out her clothes. "Your reflexes are as great as ever."

Link wore a large smirk of his own and beamed with pride. "Of course it is."

The two shared a wholehearted laugh before they continued climbing. The tension had been lifted revealing a familiar tight bond between the two of them.

Minutes later, they entered the area of Biggoron's shop and like before, the big Goron wasn't anywhere in sight. There was however a small Goron in the corner punching some rocks. He had his back turned towards them when they first noticed him.

"Hey, do you know where Biggoron is currently at?" Link called out.

"Huh?" The Goron turned around and looked up at the two taller individuals. "Brother Biggoron is over at Brother Medigoron's place. He should be back in a bit." The Goron then returned to his workout, but Link kept his gaze on him.

"Do you know him?" Saria asked.

"Looks familiar…" Link mumbled before his eyes grew wide. "Link?"

"What?"

The Goron turned around again. "How do you know my name?"

"You mean Darunia's son?" Saria whispered to Link.

"Yeah, apparently," he whispered back. "He's smaller than I remembered."

"I thought the name only came about after you became the Goron's hero by clearing out the Dodongo's Cavern?"

"I might have forgotten to mention some other details when I met Darunia recently."

"What do you mean?" She gave him a displeased look like a mother catching her son in a lie.

A small argument broke out between them for the next several seconds. In that whole time, the young Goron just watched them with confusion that grew and grew until he reached his maximum tolerant point. "Hey! I asked a question!"

"I heard about you from your father," Link quickly replied.

"You did? Then…" Goron Link carefully looked over the Hylian soldier's clothing. "Then that means you're Link as well! My father said he met someone with the same name as mine. What a coincidence!" He jumped up and down as if he had gotten first place in a race.

"Yeah, coincidence…anyway, what were you doing?" Link gestured over to the pile of rocks.

"Punching the rocks so that my fists and my body will get stronger," Goron Link replied as a matter of fact.

"Does that actually help?" Saria asked. "Doesn't it hurt?"

"We Gorons do this all the time to increase our body's strength. But it does hurt a bit." The young Goron looked down at his bruised knuckles.

"You should take care of your body better if you want to get stronger." Saria rushed over and took the Goron's hands into her own. "Fortunately, it's not too bad." She reached into her pockets and pulled out a roll of bandages that she used to apply over the small Goron's hands. "There, that should help deal with the pain."

"Wow, are you a human doctor?"

Saria smiled and tousled the small strands of hair on his head. "I still have a ways to go before I become one, but I do know a thing or two."

The Goron's eyes brightened as he examined his bandaged hands. "What's your name?"

"Saria."

"Nice to meet you." It was then he noticed Kylie floating above Saria's head which made his eyes grew wider. "Is that a fairy?! It's so rare to see one around." He reached his hand out towards her, but she quickly flew higher out of reach.

"Sorry, but no touching allowed," the fairy hissed and remained high up in the air.

"Gorons seem to like fairies, don't they?" Saria mused as she watched Goron Link jumped up multiple times trying to reach Kylie. Despite the futile act, the Goron remained delighted at meeting the fairy.

"I heard that you're the one who got the Megaton Hammer for father," the Goron said, returning his attention to Link. "Can you tell me how to become as strong as you?"

Link placed his hands on his hips and shrugged his shoulders. "You don't need to do anything special because Gorons all become strong, don't they?"

"Not _every_ Goron," he said with a hint of anguish in his voice. He looked at his hands and shook his head. "I'm smaller and weaker than the other Goron children." He clenched his shaking fists and tears welled in his eyes. "At this rate, the others will just laugh at father for having such a weak child."

Link and Saria shared a knowing look before Link crouched down so he was able to see eye to eye with the Goron. "Even if you never become as physically strong as Darunia or as some of the other Gorons, it doesn't really matter because…" He tapped the young Goron in the chest with his finger. "True strength comes from within. As long as you put your heart into it, you can overcome anything…Is what somebody told me."

Goron Link placed a hand over his chest and quietly reflected on Link's words. "That's like what we Gorons say, but that doesn't seem to be true."

"Hey, I believe it."

"Then do you think a person as small as me can become a hero someday?"

"I'm sure you can. And you don't need to be strong to wield a large hammer to be one too." Link pulled out the bow he had found in Termina and handed it over to the young Goron. "Based on your size, I think a bow is better suited for you. Once you get bigger, you can start using a larger one."

Goron Link carefully took the bow in his hands and softly pulled back the bowstring. "I've never used one before so how is it in a fight?"

" _Very_ effective," Link replied with great emphasis. "Trust me. Having a bow and arrow means you can fight from a long distance which is very advantageous."

The young Goron's forehead wrinkled as he mused over Link's words. After a long moment, his eyes narrowed and Link could see a rising determination through his eyes. Something that Link didn't really recall when he met him in the other time.

_"After a few years, he could really turn out to be something."_

"Heyyyy, what's going on herrrreeee?" The massive Biggoron finally made his appearance and gazed over the relatively smaller people huddled below him.

"I want my swords," Link bluntly demanded.

"Has it been 3 days alreadyyy?" Biggoron scratched his bald head and looked up at the sun. "I need a few more hours. I'm still working on another urgent matter."

A sullen expression spread across Link's face. "What am I going to do for a few hours?"

"How about paying a visit to my father?" The little Goron suggested with a hop. "He has been talking about you these last few days so I'm sure he would like to see you again."

"Hmm." Link rubbed his chin as he pondered the suggestion. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Saria's eyes growing larger. "Well, since we're already here…"

Goron Link jumped up with a pumped fist while Saria couldn't hide her delight.

"Then let's go!" The Goron grabbed Link and Saria's hands and dragged them towards Goron City.

As they traversed through the underground home of the Gorons, they ran into a few of its inhabitants. Some of them greeted the young Goron while others greeted their new human brother. Saria was in awe at the scenery, often stopping to admire the sights. She said it was "different" from what she was used to in the forest and in Celdic.

From the Central Chamber, they eventually crossed over to the Residential Chamber at the far end. Unlike the Central Chamber that had a circular structure, the Residential Chamber appeared to be one long tunnel consisting of multiple levels. It was an area that Link was unfamiliar with so he was surprised to find that this place was significantly more quiet compared to the livelier and busy atmosphere in the Central Chamber.

There were various signposts indicating the specific area they were in and names inscribed on the homes made of stone.

"Isn't it just the middle of the day?" Link asked. "What's your father doing home right now?"

"He takes a few days off from work each month," Goron Link replied. "He also had to prepare for the Mountain Festival too."

"What's that?" Saria asked.

Link shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. I never heard about it."

"It's a celebration we have once a year to honor the mountain spirits," their guide explained. "Nothing grand or anything. It's just like a big party."

"Sounds fun," Saria said.

Their walk came to an end when they approached a home that was larger than the ones they passed through on the road. It consisted of two stories and had an iron gate blocking public access. The gate however, wasn't locked as Goron Link lightly pushed it open and continued into the home.

Unexpectedly, the interior had a lot more flair compared to Darunia's plain office. Some torches lined the walls along with a few paintings that depicted scenes from various locations in Hyrule. There were many artifacts displayed on the stands and cases such as urns, steel accessories, and weapons.

"Father, I'm back," Goron Link called out.

Darunia appeared from the adjacent room and was visibly surprised at the guests' presences. "I didn't expect to see you here, brother." He moved his attention to Saria who despite putting on her friendliest smile, still looked nervous. "A friend of yours?"

"A friend I've known since my childhood," Link said.

"I'm Saria," she greeted. "Link told me about you so I was interested in meeting you."

"Really?" Darunia grinned with delight. "If you're a friend of Link, then you're a friend of mine too. I didn't know that Link was a resident of the _forest._ " His eyes followed after Kylie who was hovering around the room.

"Well, know you know," Link said.

Darunia gestured at the stone chairs lying against the wall. "Please make yourself at home."

"Thank you, I will," Saria said.

"And what do you have there, son?" Darunia eyed the small bow that Goron Link was clutching to his chest.

"Brother Link gave this to me. I'm going to work hard so that I can be very skilled with it."

"An interesting weapon," Darunia mused. "But I agree with Brother, it's an appropriate weapon for you."

After his son ran into another room, Darunia returned his attention to his guests. "So what brings you here?"

Link blew out a sigh. "Biggoron said he needs a few more hours before he completes the swords. I'm just killing time really."

"If that's the case, why don't you join us for the Mountain Festival? I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"Eh…" Link trailed off into a frown.

"Let's go," Saria quickly interjected, tugging on Link's sleeve. "It's not like we have a lot of chances to join these things."

The young soldier met Saria's excitement with a lack of enthusiasm. But it didn't take long for him to be persuaded. "Fine, let's go."

* * *

The festival took place in the Community Chamber that was located next to the Residential Chamber. This was the area where much of the Gorons came to relax and the main attraction for outside visitors. As such, it was also where the hot springs were situated. On the opposite side of the hot springs was a massive room, comparable to one of Goron City's main chambers. Link never saw such a large amount of Gorons gathered into one area before.

"If I need to make a speech to all of the Gorons, this is where I do it," Darunia explained and then directed them into a corner. "Why don't you guys wait over here while I get the festivities going?"

Darunia made his way to the front where a podium was raised high up in the room. Link took this opportunity to view his surroundings. A number of wooden tables run throughout the room and were piled with fruits, vegetables, and mostly rocks. Some of the Gorons were already eating while the rest continued to chat among each other.

To his surprise, Link spotted a handful of humans nearby. After quickly making eye contact with him, they approached Link and Saria.

"I don't recall ever seeing you guys here before," a heavily mustached man said. "First timers at the festival? Something on your faces just screams inexperienced." He blew out a laugh which his fellow friends joined in.

An awkward smile appeared on Saria's face. "Is it that obvious?"

"Then does it mean that you all have attended before?" Link asked.

A taller man nodded. "A few times. Kind of like a tradition for us in the past few years."

"Where are you from?"

"We're all from Hyrule Castle Town. What about you?"

"Well, we're currently stationed at Kakariko Village."

"Stationed?" The man and his friends took a closer look at their clothing. "Soldiers in the army? You don't look like one. Except your lady friend of course. I know a few members of the Medic Corps myself."

"Anybody I might know?" Saria asked.

The man shook his head. "Probably not since they're part of the Western Division. Anyway, sorry for taking up your time. We'll move along now so that you can enjoy the festival. The atmosphere is really something."

"Even though it has only been a few years," Link began as he watched the other humans walking away. "But the world already feels like a completely different place than the future I was in."

"This is a better future, I'm guessing?" Saria grinned and exposed her bright teeth.

Link returned her smile with one of his own. "So far, so good."

They both turned their attention to the front when Darunia took the podium and loudly cleared his throat. It was enough to silence all of the Gorons in the audience and directed their attention to him.

"Thank you for taking the time to come out for today's celebration. It is an enjoyable sight that not only Gorons, but people from other races are taking part. I am reminded of the past with a conversation from a young lad just recently...well several young lads." Darunia paused for a long moment as his eyes moved across the audience. He continued when he made eye contact with Link. "The world is moving in a better direction and I hope that it continues to do so. But enough about that." His mouth spread into a wide smile. "It's time that we honor the mountain spirits for the abundance of rich rocks and good conditions. May the following year be the same!" He pumped his fist into the air which caused the audience to erupt into loud cheers.

Darunia stepped down from the podium and several Gorons appeared on the stage in the back. They carried a number of drums of differing sizes and set them down. They didn't need any introduction before they started jamming on their instruments. The chamber was immediately filled with a deep beat that bounced throughout the room. The steady yet powerful rhythm felt like it resounded with Link's very soul.

"It's very different from the music that we're used to, huh?" Saria mused in a low voice, her eyes glued to the performance.

Link nodded. "It fits the Gorons very well."

"I'm glad to hear that you both enjoy our music," Darunia said after he suddenly appeared with his son next to him. "I couldn't help, but hear that you have another type of music that you're accustomed to." The Goron leader's eyes beamed with joy. "I'm actually interested in music from other cultures. You wouldn't happen to know some songs that you can play for us?"

Link and Saria both exchanged an amused look before Link placed an arm over her shoulders. "Now that you mention it, Saria is a musician who knows some songs."

"Really?" Both Darunia and his son's eyes grew even bigger. "Then how about performing something for us?"

"I'm not so sure I should," she said in quiet voice, taking a step backward.

"Why are you being so shy all of a sudden?" Link asked with a laugh. "I thought you're used to playing in front of large crowds in Celdic?"

"Yeah, but I never played in front of the Gorons before…"

"Don't worry about it, we Gorons are open minded people so don't worry about offending us or anything," Darunia said.

"I'd like to hear Saria's music too," Goron Link added as he tugged on her sleeve.

She looked back and forth being father and son and then finally at Link. Her eyes suddenly burned with determination. "Fine, but you're joining me!"

"Huh?" Link's eyes opened wide with surprise. _"Crap, I should've expected this to happen."_ He didn't remember what happened next, but he was suddenly standing in front of the stage with Saria, facing over a hundred curious Gorons. The Goron musicians remained behind them, also curious about the music that the two of them were going to put on.

Saria leaned and whispered into Link's ear. "So what song should we play?"

Link recalled one of his earliest moments with Darunia in another timeline. "Better to start off something that we _know_ they'll like, right?"

"Yeah, let's go with that," she said with a grin. "Then-."

"You should start it off since it's your song anyway."

She paused for a second. "Okay." She took in a deep breath before slowly blowing it out. "I'll begin then." She took out her ocarina and with shaky hands, brought it up to her lips.

Link turned to face the audience and noticed once again how many eyes were silently fixated on both of them. _"Now I'm feeling all jittery. Maybe I should close my eyes and just play like that?"_ While he was continuing to mull over such thoughts, he heard the familiar opening notes of the song that was always able to move him. However, it started off slower than normal and was even out of tune.

Even though he couldn't see Saria's face from where he was standing, it was clear that she was dealing with nerves as well. Fortunately, it didn't last very long as after about 20 seconds, the squeaky notes became the usual pitch perfect and was followed up with the tune that can stir a person's soul. Based on the captivated expressions on the Gorons' faces, it was clear that it was able to do the same for them.

Saria set the stage, now it was Link's job to provide the extra push. He raised his ocarina and skillfully matched up with Saria within a beat. What Link had expected to happen, then happened. The Gorons wildly flailed their arms and legs as if they were drunk on sugar. Even the usually composed Darunia had a 180 degree change in his personality. Despite their loud cheers and screams, the upbeat song continued without being drowned out by the noise.

Even the Goron musicians couldn't help, but join in. They quickly learned the beats and accompanied the ocarina song with their skillful drumming. The result was a unique harmony that managed to combine the serenity of the forest and the might of the mountain. It became a festival like no other.

The song went through a number of cycles without the two former Kokiri forest residents taking a break. Eventually, they had to call it quits when they were sweating like they have been working out in the field for hours. The Goron musicians continued on even without them.

"How do they have the energy for this?" Saria asked in between breaths. She bent over and rested her hands on knees.

"They are durable in more ways than one," Link replied with an almost equal level of fatigue.

"I'm glad though, being able to take part in this." She looked around her at all of the Gorons dancing and having the time of their life.

Link didn't know what to say so he just grunted in agreement. "Let's take a break."

"Lead the way."

Together, they headed off to the side and sneaked their way towards the back where the entrance was. Waiting for them were two invigorated Gorons, their faces flushed with red.

"Thank you for that breath taking performance," Darunia said. "It has left me a long forgotten sense of nostalgia."

"What's nostalgia?" Goron Link tugged on Darunia's arm.

"Something like an old feeling that makes my soul drenched in warmth when I think about it."

The young Goron tilted his head to the side and looked puzzled at the explanation.

Saria laughed at the sight. "Does that mean that you have been to the forest before?" "That it is," Darunia replied. "Many years ago when I was just a mere child, a bit older than my own son at this time, I left to explore this great land. I eventually entered the forest I later learned was called the Kokiri Forest. There I met the wise Deku Tree who had imparted great wisdom unto me."

"I never knew that we had a Goron visitor before."

The Goron leader gave her a warm smile. "It was a long time ago and it was, but a brief visit. Despite how short it was, meeting the Great Deku Tree and entering the forest was something I can never forget. Speaking of which, how is the Great Deku Tree?"

"He has passed away a few years ago," Link quickly explained. To his surprise, he didn't feel as sad as he had been when the Great Deku Tree was brought up.

"That's very unfortunate." Darunia frowned and slowly shook his head. "I hoped to visit him one more time, but it was not to be. This talk about the forest had reminded me once again that I met another child from the forest a few months back."

Saria and Link quickly exchanged glances.

"What did that person look like?" Saria asked.

"Not much that I can recall except that his hair covered his eyes."

"Sounds like Elott."

"A friend of yours?"

"That's right. What was he doing here?"

"He was a curious lad, full of questions. He asked me about the Goron history and culture. He left as suddenly as he appeared too. But this isn't the time to dwell on the past so how about joining us at the hot springs? I think after a performance like that, the both of you could use some relaxation."

Link simply shrugged. He was too tired to really think much about it which left the decision to Saria. She agreed, but she probably should've thought about it more before answering.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, Link's entire body up to his neck were submerged under one of the Goron's large hot springs, big enough to hold about a hundred people. This particular hot spring was situated in a rather spacious cavern with a high ceiling. There was an opening above that allowed heat to escape and prevented the room from turning into an oven. Dozens of Gorons were relaxing in the springs during this time and scattered all around the place.

Link leaned his back against the rocky stones that bordered the springs, careful to keep his gaze angled to the side. About ten feet away to his left was Saria. He couldn't see what was on her face, but it was quite red just right before they entered the springs. She wouldn't even enter the water if Darunia didn't have some towels readily available.

" _So the only thing covering her is that white towel."_ Link quietly mused, suddenly feeling his face getting hotter. A similar, but smaller towel covered the area around his hips.

Darunia and Goron Link were off to Saria's other side and remained relatively silent throughout. Their eyes were shut tight as they enjoyed the heat.

The steam rising from the water did impair Link's vision to a certain extent, but not enough for him to see the people and objects around him. He noticed several other humans in the hot spring. A mix of both genders and like the longtime pair of friends, there were some discomfort in the arrangements.

To his surprise, he spotted a male Zora just a few feet away on his right. At some point without him realizing, the Zora had gotten into the water. Trying his best to refrain from looking over to his left side, he kept his gaze on the Zora. A few scars and marks covered his well-toned chest.

"Is there something strange about me?" The Zora suddenly asked, noticing Link's continued gaze on his body.

"N-Not really," Link muttered a quick response. "Well actually, I didn't think Zoras could stand hot water."

"Most don't, but I happen to be one of the few that do."

"Hot springs in general don't really have an adverse effect on the Zoras," Saria suddenly interjected. Judging by how loud her voice was, Link figured that the gap between them had narrowed, not that he was going to confirm with his eyes. "In fact, they have health benefits and can be used as a treatment for their sore muscles as well, just like for humans."

"The lady knows her stuff, I'm impressed."

"I've read some books about Zora biology, but it's actually my first time meeting one."

The Zora squint his eyes. "Now that I think about it, weren't the both of you on stage earlier?"

"You saw us performing?" Link asked.

"Just for a brief moment. It was a lovely song from what I heard. Both of you should come play at Zora's Domain if you ever stop by." The Zora then stood up causing a few waves to ripple around them. "I'd like to stay and chat more, but I have business to attend to."

"Who was that guy?" Link muttered after the Zora disappeared from their sights. "Something about him looks familiar to me."

"His name is Ingrid," Darunia replied. "You might be interested to know that he's one of the Zora's captains in their armed forces. He's no slouch with the spear that's for sure."

"Did he come here just to visit the hot springs?"

"No, he had business matters as he said earlier. I'm sure he just left to pick up some weapons."

"Do you get a lot of Zoras visiting here?" Saria asked.

"Not really. Just a few every now and then."

"How do they even travel here?"

"There's an underground waterway that connects Death Mountain and Zora's Domain." The Goron leader stood up after the questions ended. "It's about time I head off too. Feel free to take your time."

"I'll see you later," Goron Link said with a wave before he followed after his father.

The two young teenagers were essentially left alone together since the nearest person was an aging Goron over twenty feet away. A heavy silence enveloped between the two of them.

" _The hot springs is really easing my muscle tensions,"_ Link thought. _"I should try this out more often. Wasn't it beneficial for your skin as well? What about Saria-?"_ He suddenly slammed his hands down onto the water. _"Crap, don't go there…"_ Regardless, his head tilted to the side and he snuck a peak at Saria who leaned against the edge. The steam prevented him from seeing everything, but he was still able to make out some finer details such as the faint flush that spread across her cheeks which caused his heart to beat quicker. Her mouth remained partially opened as the curves above her chest slowly rose and fell in timing with her breathing.

His eyes became fixated on the steady movement as if he fell into a trance. _"That's enough!"_ He forced his eyes to move, but they quickly fell onto her luscious pink lips, glowing with such allure that he never recalled before. Tearing his eyes away again, it now fell onto her white creamy skin. _"Just who are you?!"_ He suffered a mental overload as the heat was rising into his head. He was about to stand up when Saria suddenly broke the silence.

"When did we start drifting apart, I wonder?" Her voice was only a whisper, yet it sounded so clear and audible.

His heart throbbed. "We're not children anymore," Link calmly replied. "That's what you said before, right?"

"That's true," she said with a sad smile. "Things can't always stay the same. But even then, I miss those old days. When we can run around and play without much of a care in the world."

Link took a deep breath before replying. "Me too."

"Come on, Biggoron is probably waiting." She gave him another smile and then quickly got out.

Fortunately for him, the steam prevented any further stirrings in his chest.

* * *

"So where are my swords?" Link demanded once he saw Biggoron again. It had become late in the afternoon already and the sun was beginning to set.

"What's the hurrrryyy?" The large Goron jokingly asked. But when Link crossed his arms, he blew out a heavy sigh that ruffled Link and Saria's clothes. "Okkayyyy." He reached somewhere below and produced two swords, laying them out on his palm.

Link carefully pulled out the shorter blade from its scabbard. The shining light from the golden steel blade took his breath away. Judging from Saria's audible gasp, it seemed like she was just as impressed. It's been a while since he last saw a completely brand new sword that he could clearly see his reflection in it. His eyes ran down the blade's body until he saw some black etchings near the base. "What are these?"

"Everryy now and then, I would imprint my signature onto a weapon. I only do it for the ones that I am most proud offfff." The large Goron pounded his chest with pride.

How a person with such large hands could skillfully and precisely make the imprint onto the blade was something that Link couldn't even comprehend. _"It's almost like magic."_

The new sword was essentially larger than the Gilded Sword which was expected. It had a good several inches in length and slightly wider. He swung the blade and could feel the additional strength behind it yet the weight remained relatively the same. "What do you think?" He brought the blade closer to Saria.

"It's beautiful."

"That's it?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "It's…cool?" She slowly added after a very drawn out pause.

Link sighed. "At least that's better."

"What are you going to call it?"

"I recommend Shiny Knife," Biggoron said.

"Nope," Link quickly rejected. Wrinkles appeared on his forehead as he concentrated on a name. "Excalibur?" He shook his head. "It doesn't have the feeling of pulling a sword from a stone." He made a demonstration of what that entailed and then thought about another name. "Gae Bolg…Gungnir…? No, they sound like names for Spears. Any ideas?" He asked Saria.

"I don't really know anything about swords, but…" She folded her arms and looked past the ledge at the far stretching Hyrule Field from high above the mountain. "How about…Aegis? I remember hearing about it somewhere that the name means _to protect_."

"The Aegis Sword, huh. It sounds more fitting for a shield, but I do like it." Link raised the golden blade up into air. "From today, you're called the Aegis."

Biggoron's loud claps visibly shook the ground they were standing on. "How about the other one? I suggest-."

"It's called the Gram and that's how it's going to be." Link took ahold of the longer sword from Biggoron and drew a few inches of it from the scabbard. Its heavier weight and larger size were reminiscent of the other one he had. Its design was simpler compared to the Aegis. A long silver blade with a blue guard. But looks can be deceiving as it was strong enough to cleave monsters in two. _"And probably people too_ ," a disturbed thought suddenly appeared on his mind. He then sheathed the blade and then hooked the scabbard around his back along with the Aegis.

"Isn't it heavy to carry both of them at the same time?" Saria wondered.

"Not really. I did spend many days training my back and leg muscles so that the weight wouldn't really affect me much." He leaped up and down several times without breaking a sweat. "Well, that should about do it for my business here on the mountain. It's time we head back."

"Take careeeeee!" Biggoron said, while waving his hand. "If you need assistance from a blacksmith then you know whereee to find oneee!"

* * *

The sun was starting to set as the pair walked down the mountain. They were side to side, but maintained a comfortable distance between them.

"First time visiting Death Mountain, how was it?" Link asked.

"I enjoyed it a lot," Saria quickly replied. "I liked the Gorons, their homes and…their hot springs!" A large smile swept across her face as she mentioned the last one. "I can finally see for myself what you saw all those years ago. I just wished that the others were here to see it as well."

"At least Elott already came here."

"Yeah, what was that about?"

"Probably just trying to learn more about the world as much as he could. I wonder where he is now?"

"Hopefully not getting into trouble."

They broke out in laughter which left them in a good mood for the remaining part of their return.

When they took a few steps through the back gate of Kakariko Village, Sieg frantically ran up to them.

"Where were you guys?"

"Up on Death Mountain, getting my swords," Link replied. "Remember?"

"Yeah, but what took you guys so long?" He quickly shook his head. "Never mind, forget about that."

"Did something happen?" Saria asked.

Link just noticed how pale he looked. He looked at the other villagers and soldiers passing through. Faces full of fear and panic. The pleasant day he had was quickly forgotten.

* * *

**Two Nights Ago**

Hundreds of miles away was a large fort atop of a hill overlooking the edge of West Hyrule Field. The large canyon below eventually led into the rather narrowed entrance to the Gerudo Valley. Currently stationed at the Fortress Town of Namdrak were the Western Division's 2nd and 3rd Companies. The garrison was quite large and spacious so that it was enough to fit and safeguard a town within its walls. Nowhere as large as Saelan in the southwest during its glory days, Namdrak still had a sizable population within Hyrule.

* * *

The cold night breeze blew past Paul's nose causing him to sneeze violently. The 3rd Company guard leaned against the watchtower's railing and rubbed his nose.

"Seems like we're in for another cold night," his comrade Lamdeer remarked from his corner of the tower. "How many days as it been already?"

"More than a week is all I know. At least I'll get a break from it soon."

"Oh yeah, you're getting time for leave with the wife and kids. Was it tomorrow?"

"That's right. Just have to sit through one more grueling night." Paul rubbed his hands and crouched down towards a small fire at the center. "Still no word on those blankets or warmer clothing? Because I can sure as hell use them right now."

"I haven't heard anything. Like I said before, don't expect anything from that fucker. He doesn't give a rat's ass about us or anybody else."

"Hey…that's Sir Lieutenant General Charles Falkner to you."

"Nah, I'm still calling him _fucker_."

They broke out in laughter that momentarily pierced the midnight silence.

Paul stood up and walked back to his post that had a view of the road leading up to their gates. At least that's how it looked on another time when the heavy fog was nowhere in sight. "Where did that bastard go anyway? Didn't he just arrive this morning?"

"He left again apparently."

Paul wrinkled his forehead. "Maybe I should ask for a transfer. Anywhere, but the Western Division would be fine." After several seconds had gone without a response, he clicked his tongue. "Hey, if you're going to take a piss then at least tell me before you leave." He turned his body and suddenly stopped in his tracks when the other watchtower came into his sight. "That's weird," he muttered. "Lights are out. Might be a strong wind or something."

Suddenly, the fire from his watchtower blew out, putting Paul in near darkness. Very faint movement came from the corner where his partner was standing earlier. "Lamdeer? That you?" No response. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up as his heart began to beat quicker and quicker. "If this is your idea of a joke, then you should quit while you're ahead." He made his way over to the corner while his vision slowly adapted to the darkness. "For fuck's sake, say someth-."

A hand quickly covered his mouth as something sharp ran across his throat in a split second. The burning sensation was so painful that he wanted to let out a cry, but the hand kept a firm hold over his mouth so that barely a whisper was audible. His arms flailed wildly to get his assailant off of him, but to no avail. His strength rapidly declined and it didn't take long before his arms and his legs gave out, falling to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his friend Lamdeer lying next to him. His eyes bulging out of their sockets and there was violent gash on his throat.

In his last few seconds before everything turned to black, the image of an attractive young red head appeared in his sight. She looked at him for a brief moment, eyes devoid of emotion before turning to her comrades.

"Let's begin as per our king's orders."


End file.
